1
MRKS
& OPEN SPACES
OF LONDON
THSIR HISTORY AND
ASSOCIATIONS
THE MUNICIPAL PARKS, GARDENS,
AND
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON.
/ must gratefully acknowledge the kind assistance I have received
from many friends in the preparation of this history : Mrs. Beck for
permission to make extracts from her late husband's private records
with regard to the acquisition of Clissold Park ; Mr. John Burns,
M. P., for information regarding the agitation for the right of public
speaking on Clapham Common ; Mr. A rthur Gates for revising the
chapters on Battersea, Kennington, and Victoria Parks ; Mr. George
Chambers, the courteous honorary librarian of the Tyssen Library,
Town Hall, Hackney, for placing at my disposal the unique collec-
tion of drawings, manuscripts, etc., relating to the Hackney district ;
and to Mr. W. Minei, the donor of Myatt's Fields, for the particulars
of the history of that place. My thanks are also due to the following
for the loan of blocks and drawings illustrating this work : The pro-
prietors of LONDON for the illustrations of parks which have already
appeared in that paper ; Mr. McDougall, /.P., L.C.C., for many
of the photographs ; Mr. Martin, librarian of Hammersmith Public
Library, for the illustration of the Red House, Battersea Park;
Messrs. Oetzmann and Co., Hampstead Road, for views of Hamp-
stead and other places ; Mr. W. Sugg for photographs of views on
Clapham Common ; Mr. W. T. Vincent, author of ' Records of the
Woolwich District,' for the loan of illustrations from that work;
and the trustees of Whitefield's Tabernacle for an old view of their
ancient place of worship.
/• /• 5.
THE
MUNICIPAL PARKS,
GARDENS, AND OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
ZEbeiv HMstorg ano associations.
BY
LIEUT.-COL. J. J. SEXBY, V.D.,
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATE OF THE SURVEYORS' INSTITUTION.
ILLUSTRATED BY NUMEROUS SKETCHES, PHOTOGRAPHS,
AND FACSIMILES.
CHEAP EDITION.
LONDON :
ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW, E.G.
1905.
0
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER PAGE
INTRODUCTION - XV
I. BATTERSEA PARK I
II. BLACKHEATH 24
III. BOSTAL HEATH BOSTAL WOODS PLUMSTEAD COMMON
—SHOULDER OF MUTTON GREEN - - 50
IV. BROCKWELL PARK DULWICH PARK - - yi
V. CLAPHAM COMMON - 95
VI. HILLY FIELDS, DEPTFORD PARK, AND TELEGRAPH HILL Il6
VII. KENNINGTON PARK - 14!
VIII. LADYWELL RECREATION-GROUND MARYON PARK - 158
ix. MYATT'S FIELDS — PECKHAM RYE — PECKHAM RYE PARK
— GOOSE GREEN — NUNHEAD GREEN - 172
X. SOUTHWARK PARK NELSON RECREATION-GROUND —
NEWINGTON RECREATION-GROUND WALWORTH RE-
CREATION-GROUND - - 190
XI. TOOTING GRAVENEY COMMON TOOTING BECK COMMON
— STREATHAM GREEN STREATHAM COMMON - 2O9
XII. WANDSWORTH COMMON 235
XIII. BETHNAL GREEN GARDENS - - 250
XIV. THE EMBANKMENT GARDENS - - 262
XV. THE EMBANKMENT GARDENS (contimied) - 2gO
XVI. FINSBURY PARK CLISSOLD PARK 309
XVII. HACKNEY COMMONS - 334
XVIII. HACKNEY COMMONS (continued) HACKNEY MARSH - 35!
XIX. HAMPSTEAD HEATH - 375
xx. HAMPSTEAD HEATH (continued) - - 396
329053
viii CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
XXI. HAMPSTEAD HEATH EXTENSION, OR PARLIAMENT HILL 413
XXII. HIGHBURY FIELDS 436
XXIII. ISLAND GARDENS, POPLAR ROYAL VICTORIA GARDENS 447
XXIV. LEICESTER SQUARE - 466
xxv. LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS — RED LION SQUARE - 487
XXVI. RAVENSCOURT PARK SHEPHERD'S BUSH COMMON - 518
XXVII. SPA GREEN WHITFIELD GARDENS 53O
XXVIII. VICTORIA PARK MEATH GARDENS - 552
XXIX. WATERLOW PARK 575
XXX. WESTERN COMMONS - - 597
XXXI. WAPPING RECREATION-GROUND CHURCHYARDS AND
SMALL PLAYGROUNDS — PLACES IN COURSE OF ACQUI-
SITION - 615
APPENDIX - 625
INDEX 635
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
VIEW OF BOSTAL WOODS Frontispiece
THE CARRIAGE DRIVE, BATTERSEA PARK 2
THE CASCADE, BATTERSEA PARK 4
PICTURESQUE CORNER, BATTERSEA PARK 7
THE RED HOUSE, BATTERSEA 9
THE AVENUE, BATTERSEA PARK - 12
THE SUBTROPICAL GARDENS, BATTERSEA PARK 14
VIEW OF THE LAKE, BATTERSEA PARK l6
CYCLING IN BATTERSEA PARK 17
OLD BATTERSEA BRIDGE - 2O
BREAKFAST BY THE LAKE, BATTERSEA PARK- 22
PRINCESS OF WALES POND, BLACKHEATH 2J
VANBRUGH PARK, BLACKHEATH 2Q
CHESTERFIELD WALK, BLACKHEATH • 39
VANBRUGH CASTLE, BLACKHEATH 4!
MORDEN COLLEGE, BLACKHEATH 44
WRICKLEMARSH, THE SEAT OF SIR GREGORY PAGE TURNER, 1730 45
MAIN WALK TO THE PINES, BOSTAL WOOD 5!
THE PINES, LOOKING SOUTH, BOSTAL WOOD 53
OLD MANOR-HOUSE IN WICKHAM LANE, l886 55
LESNESS ABBEY RUINS 56
BOSTAL WOODS FROM PLUMSTEAD COMMON - 57
ON BOSTAL HEATH 59
JACOBS' SMITHY, PLUMSTEAD COMMON 62
VIEW OF PLUMSTEAD MARSHES FROM THE COMMON, 185! 66
THE OLD MILL, PLUMSTEAD COMMON, IN l82O 68
IN THE OLD GARDEN, BROCKWELL PARK 73
x LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
A BAND PERFORMANCE IN BROCKWELL PARK- - 75
THE CASCADE, BROCKWELL PARK - - 7$
COLLEGE GATE AND SUPERINTENDENT'S LODGE, DULWICH
PARK - 80
VIEW OF LAKE, DULWICH PARK - 82
COURT LANE, DULWICH, IN WINTER - - 86
DULWICH COLLEGE - - 87
THE ROOKERY, CLAPHAM COMMON - IOO
THE MOUNT POND, CLAPHAM COMMON 103
THE EAGLE POND, CLAPHAM COMMON - lOQ
THE CRICKET FIELDS, CLAPHAM COMMON - 113
GENERAL VIEW OF DEPTFORD FROM BROCKLEY, 1815 - 117
THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE LONDON AND BRIGHTON RAIL-
WAY - 120
THE CROYDON CANAL- - 121
THE LOCKS ON THE CROYDON CANAL, LOOKING SOUTH 122
THE MANOR-HOUSE, SAYES COURT - 125
PORTRAIT OF JOHN EVELYN - 127
VIEW FROM THE SITE OF DEPTFORD PARK IN 1840- I2Q
EXTERIOR OF THE SEMAPHORE-STATION, TELEGRAPH HILL - 132
INTERIOR OF THE SEMAPHORE-STATION, TELEGRAPH HILL • 133
GENERAL VIEW OF TELEGRAPH HILL 135
HATCHAM HOUSE 138
' KENNINGTON COMMON AND CHURCH IN 1830 143
FLOWER-BEDS' IN KENNINGTON PARK 147
THE DRINKING FOUNTAIN, KENNINGTON PARK 154
VIEW OF FLOWER-BEDS AND TINWORTH STATUETTE, KEN-
NINGTON PARK - 156
SKETCH OF THE LADY WELL - 159
THE SOURCE OF THE RAVENSBOURNE, KESTON HEATH l6l
ST. MARY'S CHURCH, LEWISHAM 165
•COX'S MOUNT, MARYON PARK- 170
MYATT'S FIELDS BANDSTAND - 174
THE FOUNTAIN AND RIVULET, PECKHAM RYE PARK - 179
THE AVENUE, PECKHAM RYE PARK - 183
HEATON'S FOLLY IN 1804 - 186
ENTRANCE AND SUPERINTENDENT'S LODGE, SOUTHWARK PARK 192
THE LAKE, SOUTHWARK PARK 197
A BAND PERFORMANCE IN NEWINGTON RECREATION-GROUND 2O2
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
THE MAIN AVENUE, TOOTING COMMON - 2IO
THRALE PLACE, FORMERLY OVERLOOKING TOOTING COMMON 215
SUMMER-HOUSE IN MRS. THRALE's GARDEN, THE FAVOURITE
RESTING-PLACE OF DR. JOHNSON - 217
STREATHAM CHURCH AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE NINE-
TEENTH CENTURY - 219
OLD TREE ON TOOTING COMMON - 221
A VIEW ON STREATHAM COMMON IN THE EIGHTEENTH
CENTURY - 233
THE THREE ISLAND POND, WANDSWORTH COMMON - 236
THE GARRATT ELECTION 242
THE OLD MILL, WANDSWORTH COMMON 247
KIRBY CASTLE, BETHNAL GREEN (THE BLIND BEGGAR'S
HOUSE) - - 257
GENERAL VIEW OF VICTORIA EMBANKMENT GARDENS (WHITE-
HALL SECTION) - 263
THE PRESS BAND, VICTORIA EMBANKMENT GARDENS (TEMPLE
SECTION) 265
ESSEX HOUSE- 267
CLEOPATRA'S NEEDLE 272
CHAPEL ROYAL, SAVOY 273
THE FOX UNDER THE HILL - - 275
DURHAM HOUSE, l66o 277
DURHAM HOUSE AND THE STRAND IN l66o - 279
ADELPHI TERRACE PRIOR TO THE FORMATION OF THE EM-
BANKMENT - 28l
YORK OR BUCKINGHAM HOUSE AND YORK WATER-GATE (NOW
IN THE VICTORIA EMBANKMENT GARDENS) 283
LAMBETH PALACE AND ALBERT EMBANKMENT GARDENS 293
CHELSEA IN 1738 295
CHELSEA EMBANKMENT GARDENS AND CHEYNE WALK - 297
SHREWSBURY HOUSE - 299
WINCHESTER HOUSE, CHELSEA 3OI
THE NEW MANOR-HOUSE, OR CHELSEA PLACE, BUILT BY
HENRY VIII. 3O2
QUEEN'S HOUSE, FROM CHELSEA EMBANKMENT GARDENS 303
DON SALTERO'S, CHEYNE WALK, 1840 305
CHEYNE WALK, 1750 - 306
FLOWER-BEDS, FINSBURY PARK 31O
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
MANOR-HOUSE ENTRANCE, FINSBURY PARK - - 312
THE BOATING LAKE, FINSBURY PARK- 314
THE OLD HORNSEY WOOD HOUSE - - 316
THE NEW HORNSEY WOOD HOUSE - - 317
THE LAKE, FINSBURY PARK - 319
THE DEER-PEN, CLISSOLD PARK - 321
THE MANSION, CLISSOLD PARK 324
THE NEW RIVER AND PARADISE ROW, CLISSOLD PARK 327
THE BANDSTAND, CLISSOLD PARK - 329
QUEEN ELIZABETH'S WALK IN 1800 - 331
CLISSOLD PARK, WITH OLD STOKE NEWINGTON CHURCH IN
THE BACKGROUND - 332
LEA BRIDGE, MILL FIELDS 33&
VIEW OF THE HACKNEY BROOK AT HACKNEY DOWNS ABOUT
1838 344
LEA BRIDGE MILLS AND RIVER LEA ABOUT 1830 347
THE RIVER LEA AND THE JOLLY ANGLERS, HACKNEY MARSH,
IN 1850 - 348
THE OLD CAT AND MUTTON, LONDON FIELDS, ABOUT 1830 - 353
FRENCH HOSPICE, VICTORIA PARK 358
MONGER'S ALMSHOUSES, ERECTED UNDER THE WILL OF
HENRY MONGER, DATED 1669 - 360
SEASON TICKET FOR THE WHITE HOUSE FISHERY, HACKNEY
MARSH, l8lO - - 368
THE WHITE HOUSE, HACKNEY MARSH 372
SIDE-SHOWS, HAMPSTEAD HEATH, ON BANK HOLIDAY - 376
JUDGES' OR KING'S BENCH WALK, HAMPSTEAD HEATH - 377
SWINGS ON HAMPSTEAD HEATH ON BANK HOLIDAY - 380
NORTH END, HAMPSTEAD 383
WHITESTONE POND, HAMPSTEAD HEATH - 387
JACK STRAW'S CASTLE, HAMPSTEAD HEATH, 1891 391
SOUTH VIEW OF THE SPANIARDS, HAMPSTEAD HEATH 393
ERSKINE HOUSE, HAMPSTEAD HEATH, IN 1869 397
THE FIR-TREES, HAMPSTEAD HEATH - - 399
SLUICE-HOUSE ON HAMPSTEAD HEATH - 400
WELL WALK, HAMPSTEAD, SHOWING KEATS' FAVOURITE SEAT 402
THE VIADUCT, PARLIAMENT HILL - to face p. 415
VIEW OF HIGHGATE IN l868 FROM PARLIAMENT HILL - 416
CAENWOOD OR KENWOOD HOUSE, HIGHGATE - 418
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xiii
PAGE
THE" TUMULUS, PARLIAMENT HILL, iSjO 423
SHEEP ON PARLIAMENT HILL - 430
CHARLES MATHEWS'S HOUSE, ADJOINING PARLIAMENT HILL - 432
HIGHBURY TERRACE, ISLINGTON, 1835 ' 441
GREENWICH HOSPITAL FROM ISLAND GARDENS 452
THE SITE OF THE ROYAL VICTORIA GARDENS, NORTH
WOOLWICH, ABOUT 1839 - 462
GENERAL VIEW OF LEICESTER SQUARE 467
LEICESTER SQUARE IN IJOO - - 470
THE LAST OF THE OLD HORSE, LEICESTER SQUARE- - 476
STATUE OF GEORGE I. AND HOGARTH'S HOUSE, 1790 481
STAIRCASE IN SIR J. REYNOLDS'S HOUSE, LEICESTER SQUARE 483
LINCOLN'S INN - 488
GATEWAY, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS - - 489
' THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP,' LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS 49!
LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS IN 1560 - 492
LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS AS ORIGINALLY PLANNED BY INIGO
JONES 495
LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS, CIRCA 1780 - 496
LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS IN 1658 498
ARCHWAY, SARDINIA STREET, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS 5O2
LINDSAY OR ANCASTER HOUSE, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS 503
NEWCASTLE HOUSE, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS - 504
REVERSE OF SILVER MEDAL IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM 505
COLLEGE OF SURGEONS, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS 506
DUKE'S THEATRE, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS 507
SIR JOHN SOANE'S MUSEUM, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS- 509
RED LION SQUARE IN l8oO • 514
THE AVENUE, RAVENSCOURT PARK - 52O
THE MANSION, RAVENSCOURT PARK - 522
THE LAKE, RAVENSCOURT PARK 524
VIEW IN ONE OF THE GARDENS, SPA GREEN 531
PLAN OF THE SITE OF SPA GREEN AND SURROUNDINGS IN
!?44 538
SADLER'S WELLS, WITH THE NEW RIVER IN FRONT, IN 1756 540
THE NEW RIVER AT SADLER'S WELLS - 542
WHITEFIELD'S TABERNACLE, TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD, 1756 549
THE PRINCIPAL ENTRANCE TO VICTORIA PARK, WITH THE
SUPERINTENDENT'S LODGE 554
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
BATHING, VICTORIA PARK - - 555
THE CHILDREN'S SANDPIT, VICTORIA PARK - - 557
THE BOATING LAKE, VICTORIA PARK - 559
THE VICTORIA FOUNTAIN, VICTORIA PARK - - 562
ALCOVE ON OLD WESTMINSTER BRIDGE, NOW IN VICTORIA
PARK - - 563
MAIN WALK, VICTORIA PARK - - 565
THE BOATING LAKE, VICTORIA PARK - 568
MEATH GARDENS BEFORE LAYING-OUT 572
MEATH GARDENS AFTER LAYING-OUT - 573
THE GROVE, THE SECOND RESIDENCE OF COLERIDGE AT
HIGHGATE 579
LAUDERDALE HOUSE, WATERLOW PARK - 581
ANDREW MARVELL'S COTTAGE, FORMERLY ON THE SITE OF
WATERLOW PARK - 584
CROMWELL HOUSE, HIGHGATE - 586
THE LAKE, WATERLOW PARK - - 588
AN OLD-FASHIONED GATEWAY, WATERLOW PARK 59!
A QUIET NOOK IN WATERLOW PARK - 593
ST. JOSEPH'S RETREAT ENTRANCE, WATERLOW PARK 595
PETERBOROUGH HOUSE 6oO
RICHARDSON'S HOUSE AT PARSON'S GREEN IN 1799- 602
SIGN HOUSE, BROOK GREEN - 606
THE GRANGE, BROOK GREEN, FORMERLY THE RESIDENCE OF
SIR HENRY IRVING 608
BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF WAPPING RECREATION-GROUND - 618
INTRODUCTION.
THE meaning of the title and scope of this book
calls for some explanation, especially when it will
be found that no mention is made of such places
as Hyde Park, Regent's Park, or St. James's Park,
which have a right to be considered the most important parks
in London. In the first place, the history of these parks has
been more than once written, and in the second place it
must be pointed out that they are national rather than
municipal ' lungs,' because they are kept up at the expense
of the nation at large, and not by any one municipality.
London's municipal parks and open spaces are those which
are maintained by the London County Council at the expense
of the Metropolitan ratepayers. In addition to the national
and municipal places of recreation, there are a number of
disused burial-grounds and other small grounds maintained
by the various local vestries, whilst the number is completed
by those under the care of Conservators, private bodies and
individuals, the most important of which are Wimbledon
Common and Putney Heath, together making a magnificent
open space, 1,412 acres in extent. The Corporation of the
City of London also possesses some 6,500 acres of parks and
open spaces which are available for the use of Londoners,
but are maintained out of ' city cash ' and the funds derivable
from metage on grain. The largest of these is Epping Forest;
but, like the majority of the City parks, this is outside the
County of London.
INTRODUCTION
PARKS.
The London County Council, as is well known, succeeded
the Metropolitan Board of Works as the municipal authority
for London, and the history of the parks and open spaces
described in this volume must commence with the formation
of this latter body. The I44th section of the Metropolis
Management Act, 1855, authorized the Board to apply to
Parliament whenever it was of opinion that further powers
were required for the purpose of any work for the improve-
ment of the Metropolis or the public benefit of the in-
habitants. One of the first steps which the newly-constituted
authority proposed to take was to provide public parks in
districts where such places of recreation did not already
exist, but it was felt doubtful how far the authority to apply
to Parliament given by the above statute extended. To
remove all question so far as parks were concerned, a clause
was inserted in an amending Act of 1856, in which it was
laid down that the powers given to the Board in their original
Act did extend to applications to Parliament for the purpose
of providing parks, pleasure-grounds, and open spaces. This
question having been settled, the Board applied to Parlia-
'ment, and obtained power to purchase and lay out what is
known as Finsbury Park. Some seven years later, power
was obtained to provide another park in the South - East
District, known as Southwark Park. Both these places were
opened to the public in 1869, and they were the nucleus of
the municipal parks of London, which have now increased
to so extensive an area. At the time of the formation of
these parks they were, to a great extent, surrounded by open
ground, chiefly used for market-gardens, and the schemes for
their acquisition were by many people voted as extravagant
and unnecessary. But the wisdom of this policy has been
more than justified in the lapse of time, for these parks are
now in the midst of a large population, and are invaluable as
places of recreation.
The next addition to London's municipal parks was made
INTRODUCTION xvii
in 1887, when four places, which up to this time had been
maintained by Her Majesty's Office of Works at the expense
of the nation, were transferred to the late Board. These
were Victoria, Battersea, and Kennington Parks, and the
gardens surrounding the Bethnal Green Museum. Three
more parks were acquired by the Board before passing out
of office : Ravenscourt Park at Hammersmith, Clissold
Park at Stoke Newington, and Dulwich Park, the land of
which was a gift from the Dulwich College Governors.
The London County Council in their first year of office,
1889, were presented with two parks : Myatt's Fields and
Waterlow Park ; and since this time they have gone on
adding to the number, by purchase or otherwise, as will be
detailed later.
OPEN SPACES.
It has been a great advantage to London to have on its
outskirts a number of commons and open spaces available
for public resort. The commons have a peculiar charm in
their freedom and their natural beauty as opposed to the
restrictions and the artificialness of a made park. They are,
moreover, part of the history of the country, for they are
almost the only relics of the feudal system, and take us back
to the time when England was tilled in common, and private
ownership of land in the modern sense was unknown.
Previously to the year 1866 the inhabitants of London had
no rights in connection with these places, since the nature of
agricultural holdings had gradually changed, and although
they were, like other common land in England, open to the
public by custom, the only legal rights were those of the
Lords of the Manors and of the copyholders and commoners
in each case. It is only of comparatively recent years, owing
to the enormous increase of the Metropolis, that they have
acquired value as building lands, and have consequently
proved a source of temptation to the Lords of the Manor to
enclose them. But the first general movement in the way of
enclosure seems to date back to the fifteenth century, at the
INTRODUCTION
close of the Wars of the Roses, in which so many of the
feudal aristocracy lost their lives. Previous to this, the Act
of 20 Henry III., cap. 4, had been passed, commonly called
the Statute of Merton, which enabled the lord of a manor
to enclose common lands without either the assent of the
commoners or the sanction of Parliament. In after years
this proved the most disastrous law ever passed as regards
common land, and it has been the cause of many a fine open
space being lost to London. After the Wars of the Roses,
the feudal system gradually began to undergo a change, as
the necessity for maintaining a large number of armed
dependents became less apparent, and the opening of the
Continent to trade encouraged the tending of sheep for their
wool. By degrees we find the common land being enclosed
for pasture, but not without considerable protest on the part
of many leading statesmen. So important a question did
enclosure become that a Royal Commission was held at the
instance of Protector Somerset ' for the redress of enclosures ' ;
but nothing came of it, owing to the powerful influence of
the nobles, who terrorized witnesses from giving evidence.
These common lands which were thus being converted from
public to private ownership were not what are now known as
commons. The commons of the present day were the waste
lands, perhaps not suitable for cultivation, in many cases
covered with brushwood and undergrowth, which furnished
fuel for the copyholders and commoners of the manor. In
the case of those which were suitable, the commons were
used for grazing ; but in course of time, owing to the increase
of population, they were not able to provide food for the
cattle of all the manorial tenants, and, as a consequence,
those around London began to lose their value for agricultural
purposes. At the same time their value as building land,
and the development of our network of railways, led to a
far more serious enclosure movement, by which many of the
smaller wastes were taken for building, railway, or other
purposes. This resulted in a double loss to London, for not
only were the lands not available for pasture, but the general
INTRODUCTION
health of the Metropolis was bound to suffer if all the
breathing-places were built over. The enclosure movement
has left its mark on several of the larger London commons,
particularly Wandsworth and Tooting, which are intersected
by railways in various directions, and, instead of presenting
an unbroken extent of ground, are divided into small and
almost separate areas.
This process would probably have continued, had it not
been for the action of the late Board, aided by a number of
public-spirited persons who saw that London, as well as
other parts of the country, was in danger of losing its open
spaces, which were being encroached upon year by year. It
was apparent that further legislation was necessary, seeing
that the lord of a manor could combine with his tenants
and then sell or dispose of any part of the manorial wastes.
The Board resolutely opposed any alienation of this kind
within the limits of its jurisdiction, and as a consequence of
its action, backed up by the efforts of private individuals,
Parliament appointed in 1865 a Select Committee to inquire
into the best means of preserving for the public use the
forests, commons, and open spaces in and around London.
After a lengthy inquiry, the Committee recommended that
the Statute of Merton should be repealed, that no enclosure
should take place under the provisions of the Enclosure Acts
within the Metropolitan area, and that a body of trustees
should be appointed for the preservation of open spaces
within the area. In the following year the Government
introduced a Bill which, after a good deal of discussion and
alteration, became law under the title of the Metropolitan
Commons Act, 1866, and which, whilst not quite following
the lines suggested by the Select Committee, prescribed a
mode of procedure under which the commons in the neigh-
bourhood of London could be permanently secured for the
public. This Act appointed the late Board the local authority
for all commons situate wholly or in part within the Metro-
politan area, and by its powers, supplemented by subsequent
Acts, all the commons and open spaces on the outskirts of
xx INTRODUCTION
London have been preserved for public use. The circum-
stances connected with them differed in almost every case.
For instance, in the case of Blackheath, one of the first
commons acquired, the Earl of Dartmouth, Lord of the
Manor in which the greater part of the common is situated,
generously refrained from making any claim with respect to
his manorial rights, whilst as regards Hampstead Heath and
the Hackney Commons, immense sums have had to be paid
before they could be secured from encroachment.
THE MUNICIPAL PARKS, GARDENS, AND
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON.
CHAPTER I.
BATTERSEA PARK.
THIS, the largest municipal park in the south of
London, is 198 acres in extent, and occupies the
site of Battersea Fields. What was forty years
ago one of the dreariest and darkest spots in
transpontine London, has now become a veritable oasis in
the desert. If these lands had not been rescued from the
hands of the builder, industrial dwellings, and the third-rate
terraces, with their attendant general stores, which abound
in Battersea, would have crept down to the water's edge.
Battersea is not looked upon with much favour by its more
aristocratic neighbours across the water, and this ill-favour
for a very long while seemed to attach itself to the park
without the slightest foundation, as its varied attractions
make it one of particular interest.
Before we describe its present condition, we may just go
back to the past and see what formerly took its place. In
the sixteenth century Battersea Fields was to all intents and
purposes that portion of the River Thames lying between
low and high water mark, and at every recurring tide the
land was under water. Somewhere about the year 1560 a
i
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
rough embankment was made to keep the water out, and the
land thus reclaimed became the property of the lord of the
manor, subject to some rights of common exercised by the
inhabitants of Battersea at certain periods of the year. It
BATTERSEA PARK
is said that this land was gained for the parish of Battersea
by the act of charitably burying a man who had been
drowned there, whom the adjoining parish had refused to
bury. Battersea certainly reaped a rich reward for this
kindness, for this act was held in a subsequent lawsuit as
sufficient to prove a right of ownership. The land thus
recovered was naturally of a swampy nature, and was divided
into a number of plots, called marshes or shots. A lane led
from Nine Elms to the Red House, about which we shall
have something more to say.
The lands forming the park were part of the common
fields of the manor of Battersea, the history of which can
be traced back to the time when William the Conqueror had
his never-failing Doomsday Book compiled. At this period
the manor was in the possession of Earl Harold, to whom it
had probably descended from the powerful Earl Godwin.
The Battle of Hastings, which ended the power of the
Saxon Kings, was followed by the confiscation of their
estates. The manor did not, however, pass to any of the
Norman adventurer's followers, as he retained it for his
private enjoyment till, attracted by the beauty of Windsor,
he exchanged the Manor of Battersea for that 'of the now
royal manor, which was then in the possession of the monks
of St. Peter, Westminster. One hide of the Battersea land
was not included in this exchange, and this was the property
of the Abbot of Chertsey, who somehow had managed to
acquire many a broad acre in the south of London. The
manor before the Conquest was of great extent and of -great
value, including as it did, in all probability, part of Wands-
worth, Lambeth, Camberwell, Peckham, Streatham, Penge,
Tooting, and perhaps also Clapham. After the Conquest,
the manor dwindled down to its present size, and the lands
which have disappeared from the Court Rolls are probably
those lying between the present parish and the outlying
district of Penge, which is still considered part of the manor.
We can see the difference by comparing the quantity of
land held by Earl Harold, which was taxed for 72 hides
i — 2
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
and valued at £80, with that recorded in the survey, which
was taxed for 18 hides only.
The monks remained in undisturbed possession of the
manor for 450 years. On two separate occasions the grant
of the manor was confirmed to them — once when Henry I.
usurped the throne, and later on when Stephen imitated his
example. The Church at this time being quite as powerful
as the State, it was necessary for any whose titles to the
The Cascade, Batter sea Park.
throne were not quite clear to make the clergy their friends.
This will doubtless account for the fact of these confirma-
tions. But the power of the Church declined, till the great
blow fell which deprived the monasteries of their lands under
the rule of Henry VIII. Westminster did not suffer so
heavily as its sister convents, but the Manor of Battersea
was taken from it and vested in the Crown, in whose
hands it remained till the reign of Charles I. It was
assigned, with other manors, for the maintenance of Prince
BATTERSEA PARK
Henry in 1610, and in 1627 Charles I. granted it to Sir
Oliver St. John, afterwards Viscount Grandison. Upon the
death of this nobleman, in 1630, it passed into the possession
of his great-nephew, William Villiers, who died of a wound
received at the siege of Bristol, 1644. Sir John St. John,
nephew of the first Lord Grandison, inherited Battersea ;
from him it passed in a regular descent to Sir Walter St.
John, and then to Henry, Viscount St. John, who had all his
estates in Battersea confiscated, owing to a murder which he
had committed, and they were only redeemed by paying the
King £16,000. His son, Viscount Bolingbroke, then succeeded
to the manor, followed by the latter's nephew, Frederick.
Viscount Bolingbroke. By an Act of Parliament obtained
in 1762 he was enabled to sell his estates, whereupon, in
1763, the trustees of Earl Spencer purchased it, and it has
remained in this family ever since.*
The origin of the word ' Battersea ' is involved in much
obscurity. Each antiquary has a different derivation for it ;
and where doctors disagree, it is not the place for laymen to
intrude. We will let these authorities speak for themselves.
Spelman, in his Glossary, says it means a member of a manor
disjoined from the main body, a villa or hamlet. This would
be appropriate in the case of Battersea, as we have just
mentioned how the manor was dismembered before the
Conquest. But as no other historian has adopted this view,
it seems unlikely that it is the true one. Lambarde gives
another guess rather wide of the mark. ' Battersey,' says
he, ' quasi Botersey ; because it was near the waterside, and
was the removing house of the Archbishop of York.' Un-
fortunately for this ingenious derivation, we need only point
out that the Archbishops of York did not possess any
property here till the reign of Edward IV. Others contend
that the true spelling is 'Battlesea,' and derive the name from
some battle which is supposed to have taken place near here.
A fourth solution is that the present word is a corruption of
the name by which the district was known at the time of the
* Lysons, ' Environs of London,' iSn, vol. i., part 1., pp. 20, 21.
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Doomsday survey, viz., Patricesy, i.e., the 'sea or water of St.
Peter or St. Patrick.' Opinion is divided as to which saint it
is dedicated to. Those who favour St. Peter quote as a similar
example the name of Petersham, which is known to have
received its appellation from St. Peter's, Chertsey.* This is
mentioned in the Doomsday Book as Patricesham, so that
by analogy Patricesy would mean ' St. Peter's water.' We
must just mention that Aubrey, on the other hand, makes it
the 'water of St. Patrick,' arguing that the Norman chronicler
made a mistake in the word, owing to the very unsettled
state of spelling at that period. Seeing that we have not
yet reached perfection on this point, Aubrey may be right ;
but as England has now been placed, by kind permission of
the Pope, under the protecting wing of St. Peter, it might
bring joy into the hearts of the inhabitants of Battersea to
know that in these early times their neighbourhood was
specially dear to him.
The old marshes had a picturesqueness of their own. A
contemporary writer describes how, late in an autumn after-
noon in Battersea Fields, he watched a Flemish broom-seller,
seated with her brooms in her lap, with a background not
unlike a view in the Low Countries. Behind her was a
windmill, near the ' Red House,' with some dwarfish build-
ings among the willows on the bank of the Thames, thrown
up to keep the river from overflowing the marsh flat.t Such
a view as this could, of course, only be obtained on the out-
skirts of the marsh, the greater portion being bare, flat and
uninteresting.
One of the earliest events connected with Battersea Fields
is the attempted assassination of Charles II. by Colonel
Blood. He hid in the reeds which fringed the shore, in-
tending to shoot the King whilst bathing, as was his custom,
in the Thames over against Chelsea ; but ' his arm was
checked by an awe of majesty.' So Blood, at least, had the
impudence to relate when on his trial for his audacious
* Lysons, ' Environs of London,' 1811, vol. i., p. 19.
f Hone, ' Everyday Book, p. 810.
BATTERSEA PARK
attempt to steal the regalia from the Tower.* He gained
entrance to the fortress in the garb of a clergyman, and had
actually got the
crown concealed
under his cassock.
He put such a
bold front on when
tried before the
King that he was
pardoned.
Almost the only
other historical
event recorded of
Battersea Fields is
a duel that took
place between the
Duke of Welling-
ton and the young
Marquis of Win-
chelsea on March
21, 1829. The
lonely character of
the Fields made
them particularly
suitable for the
settlement of these
affairs of honour.
As we read the
account of this
ludicrous affair, we
are reminded of the
childish duels of
the present day in
France and the
Fatherland, when a scratch suffices to satisfy the wounded
honour of a passionate Gaul. This duel arose from a
Picturesque Corner, Battersea Park.
B. E. Martin, 'Old Chelsea,' pp. 162, 165.
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
political quarrel, brought about by the course taken by the
Duke during the passing of the Catholic Emancipation Bill.
The Marquis of Winchelsea, who was one of the leaders of
the anti-Catholic party, had, of course, taken a strong stand
in opposition to the Bill, and not content with opposing
the Duke in the House, he thought fit to publish various
imputations against the personal character of Wellington,
charging him with premeditated treachery to the Protestant
party, and treason against the Constitution. As he would
not retract these libels, the matter had to be settled in the
fashionable way. The hero of Waterloo had the first shot,
with which he pierced the hat of his opponent, who there-
upon fired into the air, and then tendered an apology.*
Many attempts have been made to discover the exact spot
—in fact, a movement was once on foot to erect a permanent
memorial here ; but we are glad to say that it was decided
not to waste public money in doing anything to perpetuate
the follies of great men. Some say that the spot is marked
by Wellington Street, near Battersea Bridge ; but this is
mere conjecture.
Such distinguished visitors gave way, however, to coster-
mongers and roughs, who settled their differences here after
the example set them by the nobility. Adjoining the Fields
was the famous tavern known as the ' Red House,' so called
because it was built of red bricks. In its prime, the Red
House, and its grounds formed a second Vauxhall Gardens,
and attracted quite a number of aristocrats to Battersea.
The gardens were laid out in small arbours decorated with
Flemish and other paintings, and fancifully-formed flower-
beds. In the centre of the garden was a fish-pond. The
walks were prettily disposed, and at the end of the principal
one was a painting, the perspective of which rendered the
walk in appearance much longer than it really was. Beyond
the east end of the house was situated a range of boxes or
alcoves — seven in number — which at night were illuminated
with oil-lamps. Each of these alcoves had a table in the
* ' Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography,' vol. iii., p. 898.
BATTERSEA PARK
centre, and seats for twelve. Some of the dishes provided
here became regular institutions. The ' Flounder Breakfast '
at ten o'clock used co attract several of the Guards from
Whitehall Stairs ; and certain noblemen dignified with their
presence and patronage the annual ' Sucking-pig Dinner,'
which generally took place in the month of August. But
the Red House was also a famous place for sports of all
kinds.* Part of its grounds (now included in the park)
were devoted to pigeon-shooting, and attracted the cream
of society till the more fashionable Hurlingham took its
place. Colburn's ' Kalendar of Amusements,' published in
1840, has the following: 'Pigeon-shooting is carried on to
The Red House, Battersea. (From an old woodcut.)
a great extent in the neighbourhood of London ; but the
Red House at Battersea appears to take the lead in the
quantity and quality of this sport, inasmuch as the crack
shots about London assemble there to determine matches
of importance, and it not unfrequently occurs that not a
single bird escapes the shooter.' In addition to pigeons,
sparrows and starlings were also shot at, pigeons being sold
at 155. per dozen, starlings at 45., and sparrows at 2s.
Being situated on the river's bank, nearly opposite the
gardens of Chelsea Hospital, the Red House was chosen as
the winning-post of many a race on the Thames. In the
* H. S. Simmonds, 'All about Battersea,' 1882, p. 77.
io OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
1 Good Fellow's Calender ' of 1826 we read that on
August 18, in the previous year, ' Mr. Kean, the performer '
(not a very flattering designation), gave a prize wherry, which
was ' rowed for by seven pairs of oars. The first heat was
from Westminster Bridge round a boat moored near Lawn
Cottage, and down to the Red House.' The other heats,
too, all ended here, and the Calender adds that, ' although
Westminster Bridge was crowded with spectators, the Red
House was the place where all the prime-of-life lads as-
sembled.' In front of the house, by the riverside, was a tall
flagstaff standing on a small space which was embanked and
enclosed with railings. This space formed a kind of jetty,
divided in the centre by a flight of steps from the river, and
it was also approached by steps at both ends, so as to ac-
commodate the numerous visitors by water. So far we have
described the Red House at its best, but its latter end was a
sad contrast to these palmy days. At one time ' the ripe
corn waved to and fro in the broad, low-lying meadows of
Battersea ' ; now they became the scene of everything that
was low. Horse -racing, donkey -riding, fortune - telling,
gambling, cock-shying, swings, roundabouts, boxing, and all
the accompaniments of a seventeenth-rate fair, were the
constant order of the day here on Sundays. A former City
missionary in Battersea* thus describes the place : * That
which made this part of Battersea Fields so notorious was
the gaming, sporting, and pleasure-grounds at the Red House
and Balloon public-houses, and Sunday fairs, held through-
out the summer months. These have been the resort of
hundreds and thousands, from royalty and nobility down to
the poorest pauper and the meanest beggar. And surely if
ever there was a place out of hell that surpassed Sodom and
Gomorrah in ungodliness and abomination, this was it. Here
the worst men and the vilest of the human race seemed to
try to outvie each other in wicked deeds. I have gone to
this sad spot on the afternoon and evening of the Lord's day,
when there have been from 60 to 120 horses and donkeys
* Mr. Thomas Kirk.
BATTERSEA PARK u
racing, foot-racing, walking matches, flying boats, flying
horses, roundabouts, theatres, comic actors, shameless
dancers, conjurers, fortune-tellers, gamblers of every
description, drinking-booths, stalls, hawkers and vendors of
all kinds of articles. It would take a more graphic pen than
mine to describe the mingled shouts and noises and the un-
mentionable doings of this pandemonium on earth. I once
asked the pierman how many people were landed on
Sunday from that pier. He told me that, according to the
weather, he had landed from 10,000 to 15,000 people. This
influx was besides that by the various land roads, by which
hundreds and thousands used to come until the numbers
have been computed at 40,000 or 50,000.'* This writer is
evidently not afraid to call a spade a spade, and his description
of the scenes on the Fields is not a particularly flattering one.
Things came to such a pitch that it became necessary for
Government to interfere, as the Red House was only one of
the many beershops on the Fields. The others, afterwards
taken by the Government for the formation of the park,
were the Albert Tavern, the British Flag, and Tivoli Gardens
on the river front, and the Balloon Tea-Gardens and another
beershop on the marshland. It had been suggested by Mr.
Thomas Cubitt in 1843 to Her Majesty's Commission for
improving the Metropolis, that the laying out of Battersea
Fields as pleasure-grounds would be a very advisable step.
If ever a place had room for improvement, this did, and
many other influential gentlemen pressed the matter upon
the Commissioners, including the Rev. Mr. Eden, then Vicar
of Battersea, afterwards Bishop of Sodor and Man. Fortu-
nately for Battersea, the demand for open spaces in the
outskirts of the Metropolis had taken firm hold of public
attention, and in 1846 an Act was passed to enable 'the
Commissioners of Her Majesty's Woods to form a Royal
Park in Battersea Fields, in the Parish of Saint Mary,
Battersea, in the County of Surrey.' They were authorized
for this purpose to expend a sum not exceeding £200,000 in
* London City Mission Magazine, September, 1870.
12
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
the purchase of lands, laying out and planting the same, and
forming an embankment along the Thames. A further Act
was, however, required to provide for payment for Lammas
and other commonable rights, as it was doubtful who were
the right parties to receive the compensation for their
extinguishment. Consequently the Battersea Park Act of
1853 settled the matter by enacting that the Battersea Park
Commissioners were to pay £1,500 to the churchwardens of
St. Mary, Battersea, to be applied to such purposes as a
The Avenue, Battersea Park.
specially-convened vestry might direct, and that thereupon
all rights of common were to be extinguished. The land
thus taken comprised about 320 acres, of which 198 were
devoted to Battersea Park, the remainder being let for
building sites. It was originally intended to lease also
certain of the frontages of the present area of the park ;
but, owing to the opposition, this idea was subsequently
abandoned. Of the amount of £246,517 paid for the land,
£10,000 went for the purchase of the Red House, with its
BATTERSEA PARK 13
shooting-grounds and adjacent premises, while the laying out,
extending over a period of six years, cost £66,373, so that
the expenditure involved in the scheme, without regarding
the recoupment, was about £312,000. In addition to build-
ing an embankment, it was necessary to raise the whole
surface of the Fields, and many hundred thousand cubic yards
of earth were required for this purpose, the greater portion
of which came from the Victoria Docks Extension works.*
The park was laid out under the direction and from the
designs of Sir James Pennethorne, Architect of the Office of
Works. Perhaps the two principal features in the design
are the avenue and the subtropical garden. This avenue,
of English elms, whose branches meet in a leafy arch, forms
the chief promenade of the park, and at the end the charm-
ing vista is completed with a sight of a Gothic fountain
tastefully executed in wrought iron. The subtropical
garden, designed by Mr. John Gibson, for many years the
Park Superintendent, some 4 acres in extent, was opened
in 1864, and forms the chief botanical feature of the park.
Situated at the head of the ornamental water, and surrounded
by sloping banks, it is designedly sheltered on every side
from the keen winds, and on the coldest day it is com-
paratively warm. An attempt is made here to try and
present to Londoners some of the hardiest of tropical
plants. Without going into botanical details, we may
mention that in the summer palms, tree-ferns, gigantic
grasses, and other specimens of tropical vegetation which
have braved the winter frosts in the shelter of the palm-
house, are planted out from year to year. The rockwork
forms another attraction of the park. It is hardly necessary
to add that this is entirely artificial, although the imitation
of Nature is very close. The rocks represent a mountain-
side, as if it had been rent asunder by some volcanic eruption,
and the water meanders between the rugged walls into the
lake below. An Alpine garden has been laid out with very
good effect, the intention being to present the varying vegeta-
* Simmonds, 'All about Battersea,' pp. 80-82.
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
tion of a snow-clad peak, the snow-plant taking the place of
snow, and various other specimens garnish the sides of the
miniature mountain, thus representing the plant-life of the
different zones.
The ornamental waters comprise a large lake of fifteen
acres, and a smaller lake of one acre, called the Ladies'
Pond. The former of these is kept to an average depth of
BATTERSEA PARK 15
2i feet by means of water taken from the Thames. In
summer it is covered with pleasure-boats, the shallow
depth providing for safe and enjoyable amusement. A
portion is reserved for the many kinds of water-fowl, and
water-lilies flourish in luxuriance here. In the winter frosts
this large area is a perfect paradise for skaters, who crowd
here in thousands, well aware that an immersion would only
mean an unpleasant cold bath, and that they are quite safe
from the consequences that would await them in the event of
a similar mishap on other sheets of water of this size. Other
forms of recreation are well provided for. There are large
cricket and football grounds of several acres, and the local
matches here are as keenly watched as any county contest
at the Oval. Lawn-tennis has a ground to itself near the
engine-house, well shaded with trees, and another near the
pier. A band-stand, on which bands play two or three times
a week, provides pleasure for those who are of a musical turn
of mind. A series of horse -rides encircle the park, which
attracts a goodly number of equestrians. There is a
gymnasium for adults, whilst the little ones are not forgotten,
for two children's playgrounds have been formed where they
can swing and 'skip to their hearts' content. Lastly, a quoit-
ground has been laid out, and also a bowling-green, whilst
the wants of the inner man are provided for by three refresh-
ment houses of reasonable tariff. It is hardly, then, to be
wondered at, with so many attractions, Battersea Park is a
popular one, or that the inhabitants of the surrounding
district are proud of their ' Garden of Eden.' The park is
now under municipal control, having been transferred in
1887 from the Government to the late Metropolitan Board
of Works and their successors, the London County Council.
No history of Battersea Park would be complete without
some reference to the part it played in connection with the
development of the cycling craze. For some extraordinary
reason it sprang into sudden favour — especially with the
ladies — as a place where beginners might master the rudi-
ments of the bicycling art. It has now passed through this
OPEN SPACES 0$ LONDON
View of the Lake, Battersea Park.
stage, and the number who come here to learn are com-
paratively few. Now the roads which formerly were the
BATTERSEA PARK
nursery of cycling have developed into a fashionable
promenade, and although privileges have been extended to
cyclists in Hyde Park, the cream of society still come to
Battersea for their morning ride. This is only right, as
Battersea Park was the place where the first experiment of
Cycling in Battersea Park.
making cycling a fashionable pastime was carried out. But
the age of experiments is over, since cycling has become
part of the national life.
It was a much-cherished wish of the late Prince Consort
that the exhibition building of 1851 (held in Hyde Park, and
2
1 8 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
afterwards transferred to Sydenham as the Crystal Palace)
should be erected in Battersea Park. For this purpose an
elaborate plan was prepared, showing the main building as a
huge palace of glass, situated in the centre of a raised
gravelled promenade. From this steps led down to the rest
of the grounds, where the chief feature was a spacious
oblong lake, crossed by a bridge, containing two islands
planted with trees, and running the whole length of the
building. The exhibition if held here would have had special
facilities of access, as, in addition to trains, trams, and
omnibuses, steamboats could have brought visitors almost,
to the door. Perhaps, however, the change of site to Hyde
Park was for the better, as Battersea is hardly in sufficient
favour with the classes to have secured their patronage, and
the support of the masses, as was proved afterwards in the
case of the Albert Palace, was not enough to ensure a
financial success. It was mainly owing to this idea of the
late Prince Consort's that the Albert Palace was brought
here. Although not built in the park, it was erected on
part of the land which was acquired by Government for its
formation, the materials being brought from a former Dublin
exhibition. The whole of the design was never carried out,
the building consisting of a central transept, containing the
Connaught Hall, and one wing, whilst the erection of the
other wing was left to the time when the success of the
undertaking rendered more space imperative. Unfortunately
for the promoters of the scheme, these prosperous times
never came. It dragged on a weary existence for three
years — from 1885 to 1888 — but was never a financial success.
The Connaught Hall contained one of the finest organs in
the world, known as the Holmes organ, after its former
proprietor. A peculiar feature of this was its echo organ,
situated at the opposite end of the hall to the main portion,
though it was played from the same keyboard. As its name
implies, it was used for producing echo effects. The Palace
had a fine collection of paintings illustrative of the winning
of the Victoria Cross, which has been secured by the Crystal
BATTERSEA PARK 19
Palace. When the ill-fated Albert Palace was closed, the
building was allowed to go to rack and ruin ; birds made
their nests in the pipes of the organ, and eventually the
materials were sold to pay the arrears of rent. The hand-
some building now erected on this site is the Battersea
Polytechnic. This institution is the last of three towards
the erection and endowment of which the Charity Com-
missioners contributed £150,000, the others having been
erected at New Cross and Borough Road.
At the time when the park was first laid out, the only
means of access from the other side of the river was the old
Battersea Bridge. The Victoria Suspension Bridge was then
in course of erection, whilst the Albert, also a suspension
bridge, was not built till 1873. For several centuries before
the building of the old wooden bridge, the other side was
reached by means of a ferry. This ferry, whose history can
be traced back to the fifteenth century, has passed through
many hands. 'Previous to 1603, when the ferry was in full
working order, it was the property of the Crown, for in that
year James I. sold it for £40, to his ' dear relations, Thomas,
Earl of Lincoln, John Eldred and Robt. Henley, Esqs.'
At this time the Earl of Lincoln owned Sir Thomas More's
house at Chelsea, and fifteen years afterwards the Earl
sold the ferry to William Blake. The next owner was
Bartholomew Nutt ; and then it seems to have become
about 1700 part of the manorial estates of Battersea, and
after passing through the hands of some of the St. John
family, was sold together with the manor to Earl Spencer.
In 1766 he obtained an Act of Parliament authorizing him
to replace the ferry with a bridge, and so unite the two
parishes of Battersea and Chelsea, the boundaries of which
meet in the middle of the river.* According to the Gentle-
man's Magazine, the original design for the bridge was of
stone, and it was to have been built at Earl Spencer's own
cost. In view, however, of the great outlay, estimated at
£83,000, a company was formed, consisting chiefly of
* Simmonds, 'All about Battersea,3 p. 67.
2 — 2
20
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
adjacent landowners, who carried out the project. It was
eventually built of wood, at a cost of £20,000, and opened
for traffic in 1772. Although at first it was not a profitable
undertaking, it soon amply repaid the proprietors by means
of the tolls levied. In 1873 it was purchased by the Albert
Bridge Company, whose interests were in turn secured under
an Act by the late Metropolitan Board of Works, who freed
it from toll on the Queen's birthday, 1879.
The former wooden bridge formed a picturesque addition
to old views of Battersea. Turner was especially fond of
Old Battersea Bridge.
painting it, and it is said that in his last illness he crept out
on the roof of his house and took one long farewell gaze at
th old bridge and the broad river he had so often trans-
ferred to canvas. But the picturesque has to give way to
the useful in these up-to-date times, and the old bridge,
which was often a serious hindrance to navigation, was
doomed to destruction. Its place has now been taken by
the new Battersea Bridge, opened in July 1890 by Lord
Rosebery. The work took four years to complete, and the
cost was about £143,000. It is a composite structure, of
BATTERSEA PARK 21
stone and iron, and has five spans in place of the nineteen
of its predecessor.
Among the owners of property whose interests were pur-
chased at the time of the formation of the park, we find
mention of the Archbishop of York, who owned what is
described in the schedule of the Act as ' wharf, dock, kiln,
and rough land.' York Road, one of the principal thorough-
fares of Battersea, still reminds us of the former connection
of the Archbishops of York with Battersea. They had a
residence here, York House, which stood near the water-
side, on the spot now occupied by Price's candle factory.
It was supposed to have been built for Lawrence Booth,
Bishop of Durham, about the year 1475, and when he was
translated to be Archbishop of York he took this house as
his town residence, so that he might be near the Court when
wanted. The house was standing at the end of the last
century, although the Archbishops had long ceased to live
here, and had let it to tenants. One of the holders of the see,
Archbishop Holgate, was committed to the Tower by Queen
Mary, in 1553, and this house was rifled of its valuables by
those who were sent to arrest him, including gold coin,
plate, a particularly fine mitre, and the seal and signet of the
diocese.* He wras afterwards deprived of the Archbishopric
of York, and never restored to it.
Visitors to Battersea Park a few years ago must have
noticed a number of broken stone pillars lying prostrate by
the river-side. These were the stones which formed the
colonnade or peristyle of old Burlington House in Picca-
dilly. This magnificent pile of buildings, which forms the
headquarters of most of the learned societies and the home
of the Royal Academy, was built by Denham for Lord
Burlington about 1664. It was rebuilt by the third Earl
of Burlington, the architect, who gave it a new front and
added this colonnade. Horace Walpole, in his reminis-
cences, says of this : ' As we have few examples of architec-
ture more antique and imposing than that colonnade, I
* Simmonds, ' All about Baltersea,' p. 58.
22
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
cannot help mentioning the effect it had on myself. I had
not only never seen it, but had never heard of it— at least,
with any attention— when, soon after my return from Italy,
I was invited to a ball at Burlington House. As I passed
BATTERSEA PARK 23,
under the gate at night it could not strike me. At daybreak,
looking out of the window to see the sun rise, I was surprised
by the vision of the colonnade that fronted me.' Another
eminent authority, Sir William Chambers, architect of
Somerset House, called it one of the finest pieces of archi-
tecture in Europe. Upon the death of Lord Burlington the
mansion passed into the hands of the Dukes of Devonshire.
In 1854 it was purchased by the Government, and, although
several proposals were made to pull it down, it was kept
intact till 1866, when arrangements were made for the pre-
servation of old Burlington House, while the Royal Academy
and the University of London obtained a lease of the
grounds which formed the gardens. It was found necessary
to remove the colonnade, however, and with the hope that
it might be re-erected, the stones were numbered and
removed to Battersea Park. Unprotected as they were,
they naturally suffered much through the rough usage of
crowds of holiday-makers, so that it would have^peen almost
impossible to have re-erected them in their original state.
The scheme proposed was to form them into a ruin, some-
what similar to those in the Pare Monceaux at Paris, and
it was hoped that Government would have helped towards
the cost of re-erecting them ; but as they did not see their
way to contributing, the project was abandoned, and all
that remained of this masterpiece was used for building
purposes.
From this river front we have a fine view of Chelsea
Hospital with its grounds, Chelsea Church, and Cheyne
Row, all of them teeming with historical associations, but
the consideration of these must be deferred to another
chapter.
CHAPTER II.
BLACKHEATH.
THIS heath is one of the oldest and one of the
largest of London's open spaces, having an area
of 267 acres. The scene of many a State recep-
tion, of many an angry outbreak on the part of
a down-trodden people, and the resort of highwaymen, it
is now reserved for a less eventful career. During the
summer months it is a favourite resort of holiday-makers,
although it suffers much from its proximity to its more
aristocratic neighbour Greenwich Park, from which it is
only divided by a wall. From the highest parts of the
heath, especially from the isolated portion know as the
Point, extensive views of the counties of Kent and Surrey
can be obtained. In the distance the banqueting-hall of
the once famous Eltham Palace may be discerned, looking
like a huge barn against the sky, but the majority of the
views are decidedly inferior to those of Greenwich Park.
It forms an extensive elevated plateau, fairly level except
for the extensive excavations for gravel, which Nature has
transformed into grassy dells. There are several fine clumps
of trees dotted about on the heath, which greatly relieve the
otherwise bare appearance. Its name is variously derived
from its bleak site, or from the blackness of its soil.*
The acquisition of this desirable recreation-ground was
brought about by the Metropolitan Commons Supplemental
Act, 1871. The freehold of Blackheath is vested in the
* Lysons, * Environs of London,' 1811, vol. i., part ii., p. 542.
BLACKHEATH 25
lords of the manor, who, however, have given free use of
the heath, and it is preserved as an open space for ever. If
these active steps had not been taken, it is very probable
that its area would have been seriously diminished. As in
the case of so many other Metropolitan commons, large
encroachments have been made at various times, and in
addition to these, the surface of the heath has been much
disfigured owing to the Crown having let the right to remove
an unlimited quantity of gravel for a sum of £56 a year.
The Dover Road crossing the heath is supposed to have
been the Roman Watling Street. Along this, as well as in
Greenwich Park, were several tumuli or barrows. In
January, 1784, fifty of these were opened by the Rev. J.
Douglas, with the permission of the surveyor of the Crown
lands, and some interesting relics were discovered, although
he had been forestalled in his search some seventy years
before by one of the park-keepers, Hearne, who had no
doubt removed all available valuables. The majority of the
barrows were small and conical, with a circular trench at
the base, and were settled by the archaeologists as having
been of Roman or Early British origin. In some of them
were found traces of human hair (although the skeletons had
disappeared), iron spear-heads, some beads of dark blue-
green colour,- and some patches of woollen cloth. On
another occasion some labourers were digging in the kitchen-
garden at Dartmouth House, and discovered several Roman
urns and other remains, about one or two feet below the
gravel. The larger ones contained charred fragments of
bone. These were afterwards exhibited before the Society
of Antiquaries by the Earl of Dartmouth in 1803, and some
of them are now in the British Museum.*
Another curious discovery was made in 1780, at the
Point. This was a cavern cut out of the solid chalk, which
consisted of several large rooms, connected by narrow,
arched passages, extending some 160 feet underground from
* Hasted's ' History of Kent,' by Streatfield and Larking, edited by
H. H. Drake, 1886, p. 83.
26 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
the entrance. Some of them had circular domes supported
by columns. In the farthest of the rooms was a well
27 feet deep. The bottom of the cavern, which is of fine
dry sand, was formerly reached by a narrow shaft, but a
flight of steps was afterwards formed.* This is probably
the same as the ' chalkpytte ' underneath Blackheath men-
tioned in a lease of Shene Priory when it was let with all
the sand there, for a term of seven years, at an annual rent
of 135. 4d.t Some fifty years ago this cavern was open to
the public at a charge of 4d. and 6d. each, the tour of
inspection being undertaken by torchlight. One of the
residents who visited the cavern about this time relates that
a ball was given there, but owing to the want of ventilation
the lights went out, and a panic very nearly ensued. The
entrance was then filled up, it is believed by the local
authorities, but the fact does not seem to be recorded in
their minutes.
Blackheath lies in no less than four separate manors.
Part of the heath in Greenwich parish is within the Manor
of Greenwich ; another part, in the parish of Lewisham, is
in the Earl of Dartmouth's Manor of Lewisham. A third
part, in Greenwich parish, is in the Manor of West Combe,
and the remainder, which is the portion called ' The Point,'
at the top of Maidenstone Hill (also in Greenwich), forms
a part of the Manor of Old Court.
The Manor of East Greenwich (so called to distinguish
it from West Greenwich, or Deptford) is a royal one. It
was considered as an appendage to the Manor of Lewisham,
and was given with that to the Abbey of St. Peter at Ghent
by the niece of King Alfred, who was herself buried in the
church. The grant was confirmed in 964 by King Edgar.
It is not mentioned in Doomsday Book, which would be
easily accounted for if it was but subsidiary to another
manor, and so it must be included in the list of the
* Richardson, ' Greenwich,' pp. 81, 82.
f Hasted's ' History of Kent.' by Streatfield and Larking, edited by
H. H. Drake, p. 84.
BLACKHEATH
27
Abbot of Ghent's possessions under the general title of
Lewisham. Its subsequent history is the same as that of
Lewisham. On the dissolution of the alien priories, in
1414, it was taken by the Crown, and in the following year
was granted to the Carthusian Priory of Shene, whose pro-
perty it remained till the twenty-third year of Henry VIII.'s
reign, when it reverted to the Crown by exchange. On the
death of Charles I. it was seized by the State, but once
Princess of Wales Pond, Blackheath.
more came back to the Crown at the Restoration, and it has
remained a royal manor ever since.*
The Manor of West Coombe is called Coombe West in the
rolls of the Manor of Dartford or Richmond's, in Kent, of
which manor it was held by a quit-rent of gs. 2d. At some
very remote time it belonged to the Dean and Chapter
of Westminster. The Kentish historian Hasted says it
belonged to the family of Badelesmere, but fell to the
Crown, 15 Edward II., by the attainder and execution of
Bartholomew, Lord Badelesmere, and continued part of the
* Lysons, 'Environs of London,' 1811, vol. i., part ii., p. 497.
28 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
royal possessions till Richard II. granted it to Sir Robert
Belknap, the judge, on whose attainder in 10 Richard II.
it again reverted to the Crown. We next find the manor as
the property of Gregory Ballard, and afterwards of John
Lambarde, draper and Alderman of London, father of
William Lambarde, author of ' The Perambulation of Kent,'
the earliest county history known. He resided at the Manor
House, West Coombe. The next owner appears to have
been Mr. Theophilus Biddulph, created a Baronet in 1664.
On his death, in 1718, the manor was sold for £12,000 to
Sir Gregory Page, of Wricklemarsh, in the adjoining parish
of Charlton, who left it to hi% nephew Sir Gregory Turner,
in whose family it has since remained.* The portion of the
heath within this manor is that to the east of Greenwich
Park wall, on both sides of the road leading to Charlton.
The Manor of Old Court came to the Crown in 23
Henry VIII. by exchange with the Prior of Shene. The
King granted it in 1536 free of rent, with the tithes of hay
and corn, to Sir Richard Long for life. On his death a
similar grant was made by Edward VI. to Sir Thomas
Speke in 1547 and three years later the reversion in fee
was granted to the Earl of Warwick, who, however,
exchanged this manor with the King for the Castle and
Manor of Tunbridge. Upon the death of Speke the manor
was conferred upon Lord Darcy of Chiche, and subsequent
owners were Sir Henry Jerningham, 1554 ; Sir George
Howard, 1572 ; Sir Christopher Hatton, 1580 ; Lord Buck-
hurst, afterwards Earl of Dorset, 1594 ; and then Viscount
Cranbourne, afterwards Earl of Salisbury. After this long
list of noble owners we find it next settled upon Anne of
Denmark, Queen of James I., in 1613. Upon the death of
the Queen, in 1619, Old Court was settled in trust on
Prince Charles, who in 1629 granted Greenwich Park and
House, this manor, and other lands, to his Queen Henrietta.
During the Commonwealth it was sold to Robert Tichborne,
* Hasted's ' Kent,' by Streatfield and Larking, edited by H. H. Drake,
1886, pp. 50-53.
BLACKHEATH 29
but reverted to the Queen Dowager at the Restoration. After
some minor fluctuations between the Crown and grantees,
the manor was sold with its demesnes and the lands called
Queen's Lands in 1699 to Sir John Morden for £1,276 los.
After having spent an additional £9,000 in the purchase of
another interest, he left it by will to the trustees of Morden
College.* There has been some dispute as to whether the
claim made by the trustees of the college to Maidenstone
Hill, as part of the Manor of Old Court, was a legitimate
one. Proceedings were taken against them in 1751 by the
Vanbrugh Park, Blacklieath.
Crown to restrain them from granting leases to dig for sand
and chalk under the hill, and for erecting houses round it.
A compromise was effected in 1771, by the trustees admitting
the right of the Crown to the waste (i.e., the Point), and
receiving a grant of fifty years of Maidenstone Hill, and the
surrounding houses. In 1823 the trustees purchased the
Crown's interest in the houses for £5,053 55. 5d., the plain
on the top being reserved for public use, or a church, or
other public building, so that if the scheme for the manage-
* Hasted's ' Kent,' annotated by Streatfield and Larking, pp. 44-46.
3o OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
ment of Blackheath had not been formulated, this part must
have been preserved from private building. The remaining
portion of the heath in the parish of Lewisham is within the
Manor of Lewisham.*
Situated at so short a' distance from London, on the main
road from Dover and Canterbury, Blackheath has from the
earliest times furnished a splendid site for military gatherings,
and those gorgeous state pageants in which our forefathers
delighted. The earliest of these of which any record remains
was the encampment of the Danish army in the reign of
Ethelred, when their fleet was moored at Greenwich.! The
part of the heath where they entrenched themselves was
probably the high ground at East and West Coombe.J At
these places distinct traces of entrenchments have been found
from time to time, some of which may date back to these
early ages, whilst the 'remainder must be attributed to the
various bodies of insurgents who have encamped here.
It was at Blackheath that Richard II., with the daughter
of the King of France, whom he was about to take as his
second wife, were met by the Lord Mayor and Aldermen,
duly attired in their scarlet robes. They accompanied the
King to Newington, where he dismissed them, as he and
his bride were to ' rest at Kennyngtoun,' where the royal
palace was.
Another incident in connection with Blackheath during
this reign was of a less pleasant character. The body of
insurgents who resented the imposition of the poll-tax of
3 groats on all persons above fifteen assembled on Black-
heath in June 1381. The Kentish contingent, headed by
Wat Tyler, the blacksmith of Dartford, united their forces
with the men of Essex led by Jack Straw, and the com-
bined body estimated at 100,000 marched upon London.
They afterwards separated into three parties, one of them
being stationed at the Tower, a second proceeding to the
* For descent of this manor, see p. 158.
t Lysons, ' Environs of London,' vol. i., part ii., pp. 496, 497.
I Coombe, from Anglo-Saxon coomb, a camp.
BLACKHEATH 31
Temple, which they burnt to the ground together with its
library and documents, whilst the third burnt the monastery
of St. John of Jerusalem, at Clerkenwell. Both the leaders
afterwards suffered for the prominent part they had taken,
Wat Tyler being stabbed by the Lord Mayor in Smithfield,
and Jack Straw together with many others beheaded.
In the next reign the Emperor of Constantinople, Manuel
Palaeologus, came over to England to solicit the aid of
Henry IV. against Bajazet, Emperor of the Turks. He
was met here by the King in 1400, who conducted him to
London with great pomp and ceremony.*
On November 3, 1415, Henry V. was met here on his
return from the glorious victory of Agincourt by the Mayor,
Aldermen, and Sheriffs, accompanied by great numbers of
the citizens of London, who came to Blackheath to welcome
their hero. The aristocratic citizens were mounted and
clothed in scarlet robes, while the meaner sort numbering
some 20,000 attended on foot all ' with the devices of their
craft.' The victor had had one long triumphal procession
all the way from Dover, and was doubtless rather wearied
of the sweets of triumph by the time he reached Blackheath.
He bore the honours thus thrust upon him with exemplary
modesty, and nipped all the preparations of the Mayor in
the bud. The meeting, according to Holinshed, seems to
have been rather a failure, for he tells us that ' the King, like
a grave and sober personage, and as one remembering from
Whom all victories are sent, seemed little to regard such
vaine pompe and shewes as were in triumphant sort devised
for his welcoming home from so prosperous a journie ; inso-
much that he would not suffer his helmet to be carried before
him, whereby might have appeared to the people the blowes
and dints that were to be seene in the same ; neither would
he suffer any ditties to be made and sung by minstrels of his
glorious victorie, for that he would have the praise and
thanks altogether given to God.'f
* Thorne, * Environs of London,' vol. i., p. 46.
f Holinshed, vol. iii., p. 556.
32 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
These worthy citizens were particularly fond of these
magnificent receptions, and their ardour was evidently not
damped by the coolness of Henry, for in the following May
we find them again here, this time to meet the Emperor
Sigismund, who had come over to mediate a peace between
France and England. He was particularly well looked
after, for at Dover he was received by Humphry, Duke of
Gloucester ; at Rochester by John, Duke of Bedford ; and
at Dartford by Thomas, Duke of Clarence — the King's three
brothers, who, with many other lords, conducted him to the
King at Lambeth.*
' Good Duke Humphry ' attended by 500 men wearing his
livery is again here on May 18, 1428, together with the
Mayor and Aldermen, to meet Margaret of Anjou before her
coronation. He conducted her to his palace, which she
afterwards obtained for herself.
In the following reign Blackheath was much in requisition,
but the meetings were of a more turbulent nature. The new
King, Henry VI., returned to London after his coronation in
Paris, and received a royal reception at the hands of the
citizens of London on the heath in February, 1431. The
various dresses must have made the gathering very pic-
turesque. The Mayor was attired in crimson velvet, with
a girdle of gold about his waist ; the Aldermen were in
scarlet robes, and the citizens had white gowns with scarlet
hoods, all of them wearing the badge of the particular com-
pany to which they belonged. t
The next gathering was of a very different nature. Jack
Cade, representing himself to be a kinsman of the Duke of
York, laid before the royal council the complaint of the com-
mons of Kent, called the ' Blackheath Petition.' His insurrec-
tion soon became formidable, and he headed about 20,000
men, who encamped on the ' plaine of Blackheath, between
Eltham and Greenwiche.' Their objects were ' to punish
evil ministers, and procure a redress of grievances.' They
* Holinshed, vol. iii., p. 556.
f Thorne, ' Environs of London,' vol. i., p. 46.
BLACKHEATH 33
defeated and slew the King's leader Sir Humphry Stafford,
at Sevenoaks in June, 1450, who, according to Shakespeare,
calls them ' rebellious hinds, the filth and scum of Kent,
mark'd for the gallows.' Much allowance must be made
for poetic license in this description, as the insurgents
included many men of high standing. After their first
success they entered London in triumph, beheaded Lord
Saye, the Lord Treasurer, amongst others, defaced the
records of the law, burnt down the office of arms, and
destroyed the rolls, registers, and books of armoury. Their
reason for these destructive acts appears to have been
to destroy all title-deeds and evidences, and so to place
everybody on a glorious equality. Soon after . this the
insurgents lost ground, and when a general pardon was pro-
claimed Cade was deserted by his followers and fled. He
was discovered, but as he refused to surrender he was slain
by the Sheriff of Kent. After his death many of the rebels
came once more to Blackheath, ' naked save their shirts,'
and, with halters on their necks, knelt to the King to receive
their doom of life or death.* It is pleasant to record that
they were pardoned.
Once more we find Henry VI. at Blackheath. The
following year, in 1452, his cousin the Duke of York, father
of Edward IV., who had openly claimed the Crown, drew
up his forces in the neighbourhood of Dartford, while Henry
encamped upon Blackheath. On this occasion the Duke
was induced to enter the royal tent unarmed, and was seized
and carried prisoner to London.
In 1471 the bastard Falconbridge, who had taken up
arms in the cause of Henry VI., encamped here with his
army;t and three years later the new King, Edward IV.,
was met here by the Mayor and citizens, when returning
from France, where he had been with an army of 30,000,
to conclude a treaty of peace with Louis. J
The Wars of the Roses now being finished, a fresh
* Stow, ' Annals.' f Holinshed, vol. iii., p. 690.
| Ibid., p. 701.
3
34 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
rebellion arose, and we find another insurgent crowd on
Blackheath in 1497. The Cornishmen resented the taxes
levied to pay the Scottish war expenses. Their leaders were
Thomas Flammock, a lawyer, and Michael Joseph, a farrier,
and to the number of 6,000 they marched towards London.
At Wells the chief command was given to Lord Audley.
Henry VII. gave them battle on Blackheath, where many
of them were slain, and the remainder were forced to sur-
render. Lord Audley was executed on Tower Hill. He
had been clad in a suit of paper displaying his coat-of-arms
reversed. The two other leaders were hanged at Tyburn.*
The Kentish historian Lambarde, who lived at West
Coombe, and was, of course, familiar with the locality, says
' there remaineth yet to be seen upon the heath the place
of the smith's tent, called commonly his forge, and the
grave-hills of such as were buried after the overthrow. 'f
This smith's forge is an earthen mound marked with fir-
trees, close to the end of Chesterfield Walk. This spot has
also been called Whitefield's Mount, from the fact that it had
been used as an open-air pulpit by that prince of preachers.
To the west of it may be seen ridges, which may be the
remains of the encampments referred to by Lambarde. It
has also been put to other uses, as a butt for artillery
practice, for our old friend Evelyn mentions, under date
March 16, 1687, in his diary : ' I saw a trial of those devilish,
murdering, mischief-doing engines called bombs, shot out of
a mortar-piece on Blackheath.'
But to return to our state receptions, we must now pass
on to the reign of Henry VIII. In the early part of this
reign there are two of these to record, both of religious
dignitaries. One of these was to meet a solemn Embassy,
consisting of Lord Bonevet, Admiral of France, the Bishop
of Paris, and others, with a train of 1,200. The honours
on this occasion were entrusted to the Earl of Surrey, Lord
Admiral of England. ' The young gallants of France had
* Stow, 'Annals,' 4to., p. 802.
t ' Perambulation of Kent,' 1596, p. 392.
BLACKHEATH 35
coats guarded with one colour, cut in ten or twelve parts,
very richly to behold, and so all the Englishmen accoupled
themselves with the Frenchmen lovingly together, and so
rode to London.'* An equally brilliant pageant was seen
when the Papal Legate, Cardinal Campegius, was met here
by ' the Duke of Norfolk with a great number of prelates,
knights, and gentlemen all richly apparelled. And in the
way he was brought into a rich tent of cloth of gold, where
he shifted himself into a robe of a cardinal edged with
ermines, and so took his moyle (mule), riding toward
London. 'f
The much-married Henry himself was here in 1540, and
a second edition of the Field of the Cloth of Gold took
place on the occasion of his meeting his fourth wife, Anne
of Cleves. Henry pretended that this was the first time
he had set eyes upon her, but he had already inspected her
privately at Rochester, when he made up his mind to put
her away speedily ; but for all that her reception on Black-
heath was conducted with all propriety and decorum. On
the eastern side of the heath ' was pitched a rich cloth of
gold, and divers other tents and pavilions, in the which were
made fires and perfumes for her, and such ladies as should
receive her grace.' Our chronicler gives such a full and
minute description of the ceremony that one would almost
have thought that he was present. Henry's dress and ap-
pearance in general will serve as a good guide ' to those
about to marry.' The account runs as follows : .
' The King's highness was mounted on a goodly courser,
trapped in rich cloth of gold ... all over embroidered with
gold of damask, pearled on every side of the embroidery ;
the buckles and pendants were all of fine gold. His person
was apparelled in a coat of purple velvet ... all over
embroidered with flat gold of damask, with small lace mixed
between of the same gold . . . about which garment was
a rich guard very curiously embroidered. The sleeves and
breast were cut, lined with cloth of gold, and tyed together
* Hall's ' Chronicle,3 p. 594, reprint. f Ibid., p. 592.
3—2
36 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
with great buttons of diamonds, rubies, and orient pearl,
his sword and sword girdle adorned with stones and especial
emerodes . . . but his bonnet was so rich with jewels that
few men could value them.'*
After the meeting, the royal pair went in procession to
Greenwich Palace, there to commence that happy married
life which lasted but seven months. We must quote one
more passage :
' O what a sight was this, to see so goodly a prince and
so noble a king to ride, with so fair a lady, of so goodly a
stature and so womanly a countenance, and in especial of
so good qualities ; I think no creature could see them but
his heart rejoiced.'
This becomes interesting in the light of subsequent events,
for although all the huge crowd of spectators may have
rejoiced, it is certain that the two principals never did.
Henry vented his wrath upon Cromwell, who had brought
about the match, and he paid the penalty of ill-success with
his life. Anne was compensated for the loss of the doubtful
joys of married life by the gift of many a manor in Kent
and Sussex.
The last state reception we have to record in connection
with Blackheath eclipses all the others in splendour and
magnificence. This was at the Restoration, when the re-
action against Puritanism had triumphed, and all London
made holiday one fine day in May, 1660, to greet their exiled
King. Those familiar with Sir Walter Scott's ' Woodstock '
will remember how well the scene is described there. Charles,
who had slept the night at Rochester, rode on to the heath
escorted by his brothers, the Dukes of York and Gloucester,
and there saw drawn up to meet him that same army which
he had good cause to remember. Lord Macaulay gives us
a vivid picture of their attitude in his ' History of England ' :
' Everywhere flags were flying, bells and music sounding,
wine and ale flowing in rivers to the health of him whose
return was the return of peace, of law, and of freedom. But
* Hall, pp. 833-836, reprint.
BLACKHEATH 37
in the midst of the general joy, one spot presented a dark
and threatening aspect. On Blackheath the army was drawn
up to welcome the Sovereign. He smiled, bowed, and ex-
tended his hand graciously to the lips of the Colonels and
Majors ; but all his courtesy was vain. The countenances
of the soldiers were sad and lowering, and had they given
way to their feelings, the festive pageant, of which they
reluctantly made a part, would have had a mournful and
bloody end.'* From this, however, he was mercifully pre-
served, and continued his triumphal procession to London.
In addition to these state receptions, Blackheath has
furnished a suitable ground for reviews and military parades.
The good Queen Bess, when at Greenwich, came to Black-
heath and reviewed the city militia, completely armed, to
the number of 4,000 or 5,000.
On May i, 1645, Colonel Blunt, to please the Kentish
people, who were fond of old customs, particularly May
games, drew out two regiments of foot, and exercised them
on Blackheath, representing a mock fight between the
Cavaliers and the Roundheads. The old writer adds that
' the people were as much pleased as if they had gone
a-maying.'t
Evelyn mentions several of these encampments. On
June 10, 1673, he records in his diary :
' We went after dinner to see the formal and formidable
camp on Blackheath, raised to invade Holland, or, as others
suspected, for another designe.'
They encamped here again on their return (July, 1685).
He also tells of another camp of about 4,000 men formed
here when London was agitated by the rumour that the
English fleet had sought refuge in the Thames from the
French fleet under De Tourville in 1690.
In 1798, owing to the war scare caused by the rebellion in
Ireland, and the success of the French arms, the Govern-
ment encouraged the formation of volunteer corps. Three
* * History of England,' 1858, vol. i., p. 156.
f Quoted in Lysons, vol. i., part ii., p. 544.
38 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
of these were raised in Greenwich, one of which was called
the Blackheath Cavalry. This body consisted of about
fifty troopers, residents of the neighbourhood. It was
strengthened by the addition of the Woolwich troop of
about the same number in 1802, but was disbanded in 1809.*
It will be seen, therefore, that Blackheath has played an
important part in the annals of England. It is only natural
that the social position to which these meetings and the
proximity of Greenwich Palace raised our common should
attract to the neighbourhood many noblemen of note, whose
residences clustered round the spot.
One of the most famous of these is the residence of the
Ranger of Greenwich Park, facing the heath, situated in
Chesterfield Walk, a shady pathway running along under
the park wall from the top of Croom's Hill. The name of
this delightful avenue is a reminiscence of a former occupant,
the celebrated Philip, Earl of Chesterfield, principally re-
membered now for those extraordinary letters of advice
written for the guidance of his son. This, together with the
adjacent mansions, was built on part of the waste lands of
the manor, which were allowed to be enclosed in considera-
tion of the payment of 40 bushels of coal annually to the
poor of Greenwich. The manor court in 1676 threatened
to level the houses, or exact £50, but we find a lease of the
ground granted in 1688 by the Queen's trustees for £3 a
year. | In 1697 Colonel Stanley, afterwards Earl of Derby,
resided here, and the Earl of Chesterfield in 1753 bought the
assignment of part of this ground with a house standing
thereon, which he improved and enlarged for his occasional
residence. Although it was known to the general public as
Chesterfield House, the owner himself called it in his letters
' Babiole,' and afterwards ' La Petite Chartreuse.' Its name
was changed in 1807 to Brunswick House, when the Dowager
Duchess of Brunswick, sister of George III., bought the
* Richardson, ' Greenwich,' pp. 22, 23.
f Hasted's 'History of Kent,' by Streatfield and Larking, edited by
H. H. Drake, p. 82.
BLACKHEATH
39
mansion. She came here so as to be near her daughter
Caroline, Princess of Wales, who had been appointed Ranger
of the park in the previous year, and occupied the adjoining
mansion, Montague House. In 1815 the house was purchased
by the Crown as an official residence for the Ranger, and it
was subsequently occupied by Princess Sophia, who was
appointed Ranger in 1816 till her death in 1844.* In more
Chesterfield Walk, Blackheath.
recent years it has been the residence of Ranger Lord Haddo,
afterwards Earl of Aberdeen, the Duke of Connaught (whilst
studying at Woolwich for the Engineers), the Countess of
Mayo, and lastly of Lord Wolseley. The grounds of the
mansion, some 15 acres in extent, were added by order of
the Queen to Greenwich Park in 1897, and the house was
* Thome, ^Environs of London,' vol. i., p. 49.
40 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
handed over to H.M. Office of Works. It is needless to
say these gracious acts were much appreciated.
Immediately to the south of the Ranger's residence stood
Montague House, so named after the Montague family, to
whom the lease was assigned in 1714, from whom it descended
to the Duchess of Buccleugh. The house, which was pur-
chased by the Crown in 1815, and pulled down to enlarge the
grounds of Ranger's Lodge, was an irregular brick building
whitened over.* We have seen that the Princess Caroline
lived here as tenant of the Duchess of Buccleugh. She
had been married to George, Prince of Wales, afterwards
George IV., in 1795, by whom she was treated from the
very first with indifference, which developed afterwards into
hatred, so that they were forced to separate. Her husband
had no scruples in making the gravest charges against her
life at Blackheath ; but, after a rigid scrutiny on the part of
a secret commission appointed by him, she was acquitted
from all guilt. During her residence here, the Princess
enlarged the grounds by enclosing a few acres of the park
known as the Little Wilderness. Although Montague House
has disappeared, it has given its name to Montague Corner,
at the south-east end of Chesterfield Walk.t
Another house in Chesterfield Walk, also facing part of
the heath, was once the residence of Major-General Wolfe.
His son, the hero of Quebec, who is buried in Greenwich
Church, occasionally lived here. It afterwards passed into
the hands of Lord Lyttelton, from whom it was named
Lyttelton House. £ It is now called Macartney House.
Turning now to the eastern side of the park, Vanbrugh
Fields, at the north-east corner of Blackheath, are so named
after Sir John Vanbrugh, the architect of Blenheim Palace
and the Mansion House, who took a lease of 12 acres of
ground here in 1714, and built the grotesque castellated
building called by him Vanbrugh Castle, but popularly
* ' Beauties of England and Wales.'
t Thorne, * Environs of London,' vol. i., p. 49.
J Lysons, 'Environs of London,' 1811, vol. i., part ii., p. 537-
BLACKHEATH
known as the Bastille, from its supposed resemblance to the
French prison, in which Vanbrugh had on one occasion been
confined, owing to his examining a fortification too closely,
and being thus mistaken for a spy. It is approached by an
embattled gateway overgrown with ivy, and the whole build-
ing, with its round tower and spire, has the appearance of a
fortification.
Vanbrugh Castle, Blackheath.
Close by is an equally curious building, also built by
Vanbrugh, called Vanbrugh House. This, too, had a nick-
name, Mince-pie House,* which it may have received as a
place of entertainment. It is built of brick with raised bands,
and has a round tower at each end, with a central porch.
* Lysons, ' Environs of London,' 1811, vol. i., part ii., p. 526.
42 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
The embattled archway to this, with a lodge on each side,
stands at some distance from the house. The two houses
south of this arch were built in 1719 for the Duchess of
Bolton (Polly Peacham) and Sir James Thornhill. It is
probable that the heath at some time reached to here, and
that the present gateway was the entrance from it.
The greater part of the northern boundary of the heath
is formed by the wall of Greenwich Park. Although any
lengthy mention of this would be out of place in the present
work, we must just briefly notice it in passing, inasmuch as
it may be rightly termed part of the heath itself. Humphry,
Duke of Gloucester, who had received the grant of the manor
of Plesaunce (subsidiary to that of East Greenwich), had a
license, in 1433, to enclose and empark 200 acres of land,
and erect therein ' towers of stone and lime after the form
and tenure of a schedule to this present bill annexed.' The
Duke enclosed his park, but did not build his palace on the
hill, but, preferring the view of ' the silver Thames,' chose the
site now occupied by the west wing of Greenwich Hospital.
The wall round the park was built by James I., but we owe
the present state of the park to Charles II., who commis-
sioned Le Notre to lay it out. Upon the hill where now
stands the world-famed observatory he built a tower called
Greenwich Castle. When the Duke died, the manor and
palace reverted to the Crown, and successive royal owners
beautified and enlarged the palace, till it was demolished
about 1664.* Charles II. is also responsible for the obser-
vatory, which was commenced in 1675 and completed in
1676.
At the south-east corner of Blackheath, seen through a
screen of sheltering elms, is Morden College, founded by
Sir John Morden, and erected in 1694. He made his fortune
in Aleppo, in spite of a clause in the Navigation Act of
Charles II. prohibiting the indirect importation of African,
Asian, or American products, under penalty of forfeiture of
the ship. The following tradition is current in the college
* Thorne, * Environs of London,' vol. i., p. 249.
BLACKHEATH 43
to account for its foundation. Sir John Morden, having
resided many years at Aleppo, decided to return and settle
in England. Having shipped the whole of his merchandise
on board three of his ships, he sent them on a trading
voyage, after which they were to return to the Port of
London. Years passed without tidings of them, till they
were given up for lost, and Sir John, being reduced to
extreme poverty, was employed as a traveller by a trades-
man. While waiting in the hall of a gentleman's house he
heard him exclaim, 'Here is an astonishing circumstance!'
and read from a paragraph in a newspaper stating that three
ships had just arrived, supposed to be lost, for they had not
been heard of for ten years or more. Sir John rushed into
the city, and found they were his own long-lost vessels, and
in the joy of the moment he vowed to build an asylum for
decayed merchants.* Whether this was so or not, we find
the building erected and endowed, and occupied by twelve
Turkey merchants during Sir John's lifetime, but after his
death Lady Morden was obliged to reduce the number to
four, owing to the estate not answering anticipations. At
her death the college obtained the whole property, and the
number of occupants \vas increased. The benefits of the
institution are intended, in the first place, for merchants
trading in the Levant, whose fortunes have been ruined by
perils of the sea or other unavoidable accidents. It must
not for a moment be supposed that Morden College is a
kind of private workhouse. On the contrary, the inmates,
numbering about forty, receive all the comforts of home.
The college, which was designed by Sir Christopher Wren,
and erected by his master-mason, Edward Strong, is a
large quadrangular building of brick, with stone quoins and
cornices. Over the entrance are statues of the founder and
his wife. Inside the walls is a chapel, wainscoted with oak
to a height of about 9 feet. The carvings of the oak altar-
piece, door, and cornices are attributed to Grinling Gibbons.
* ' Memoir of Sir J. Morden, Bart.,' by H. W. Smith, Esq., treasurer
of the college.
44
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Each resident member of the college is allowed £100
annually, in addition to grants for washing and candle
money. There are servants to clean the apartments, which
consist of a sitting-room, bedroom, pantry, cupboard, and a
cellar for each member. Every provision is made for the
comfort and recreation of the inmates — library, billiard-
Morden College, Blackheath.
rooms, card-rooms, and well-laid-out pleasure-grounds for
promenading. In addition to the resident inmates, there are
nearly 100 out-pensioners, who receive annual sums varying
from £20 to £80. The income of the college is steadily
increasing, and amounts to considerably over £10,000,
thanks to the munificence of the donor and of the other
benefactors. The ' canal ' which is shown in old engravings
BLACKHEATH
45
in front of the college has now disappeared. It was drained
when the tunnel for the North Kent Railway was made
under the grounds, the sand from which was used to form
the undulating lawn of the college.* Altogether Morden
College forms an ideal retreat for those who, having once
been in prosperous circumstances, have now come down in
the world.
The crescent known as the Paragon adjoining Blackheath,
close to Morden College, occupies the site of the manor-
house and grounds of Wricklemarsh. This is supposed to
be identical with the estate called Witenemers in Doomsday
Wricklemarsh, the seat of Sir Gregory Page, 1730.
Book, held at that time by the son of Turald, of Rochester.
The manor-house together with four tenements was sold
for £1,950 in 1669 to Sir John Morden, who in his will
devised ' his mansion-house, called Wricklemarsh, with all
the orchards, gardens, walks, ponds, and appurtenances, and
as many acres of land, next adjoining to the said house, as
amounted to the yearly value of £100 at the least,' to his wife
for life. Upon the death of Lady Morden the estate was
sold under a decree in Chancery to Sir Gregory Page Turner,
who pulled down the old house and erected in its place a
magnificent mansion, which was then one of the finest seats
* Thorne, ' Environs of London,' vol. i , p. 50.
46 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
in England belonging to a private gentleman. It was built
from the designs of John James, after Houghton, and com-
pleted in one year. It is described* as ' consisting of a
basement, state and attic story. The wings contained the
offices and stables, which were joined to the body of the
house by a colonnade ; the back front had an iron portico
of four columns, but without a pediment. It stood in the
midst of the park, with a large piece of water before it, on
a beautiful rise, about a quarter of a mile distance from the
heath, which from the pales of the park rises again up to
the London road.' A newspaper cutting of 1783 records
that 'the fine house built by Sir Gregory Page, and lately
inhabited by Lord Townsend, was on Monday sold by
auction, together with the enclosure where it stands, for
£22,550.' The house cost Sir Gregory Page £90,000. Four
years later the mansion was pulled down, and the present
houses built on the site.f
At the corner of the heath, near Blackheath Hill, is the
Green Man Hotel, which occupies the site of an ancient
inn of the same name, and another place of entertainment,
the Chocolate House. This latter is mentioned by the
Duke of Richmond, Master-General of the Ordnance, in a
private letter. The name of this house was long kept in
memory by Chocolate Row.
Blackheath at the present day is most intimately associated
with the game of football. Among its historical associations
must not be forgotten its connection with the game of golf..
There are people who say that the introduction of golf into
England was the only good thing the Stuart Kings ever did
for the country, whilst, on the other hand, others maintain
that it is the worst thing they ever did, which is saying
much. King James VI. of Scotland brought golf down
South on his accession to the English throne, and played
it on Blackheath. The Royal Blackheath Golf Club is the
* ' Beauties of England and Wales.'
f Hasted's ' History of Kent,' by Streatfield and Larking, edited by
H. H. Drake, p. 125.
BLACKHEATH 47
oldest in the world, though the first real links on which the
game was played in England were those of the Royal North
Devon Club at Westward Ho.
Blackheath, in the same way as Kenningtoh Common,
was made one of the polling-places for members of Parlia-
ment for the Western Division of Kent under the Reform
Bill of 1832.
Dickens has made us familiar with the associations of
Blackheath with the old coaching days. Before we had
been accustomed to rattle along at the rate of sixty miles an
hour on our modern railroads, an advertisement like the
following (quite oblivious to the requirements of grammar
or punctuation) might often have been seen :
'A STAGE COACH
WILL SET OUT
for Dover every Wednesday and Friday from Christopher
Shaws the Golden Cross at four in the morning to go over
Westminster Bridge to Rochester to dinner to Canterbury
at night and to Dover the next morning early ; will take
passengers for Rochester, Sittingbourne, Ospringe, and
Canterbury — and returns on Tuesdays and Thursdays.'*
Travellers by this coach would have good cause to re-
member Blackheath, so notorious a resort for highwaymen
in the last century. As the old coach lumbered up Shooter's
Hill, the tremulous passengers would hide their watches and
purses in their boots, and thankful indeed would they be if
they escaped without the surrender of their valuables. These
attacks by the knights of the road became so numerous
that the inhabitants of the neighbourhood combined together
in 1753, and subscribed a fund to suppress the lawlessness
for which Blackheath was so notorious. Rewards were
offered for the conviction of highwaymen and footpads
caught within a prescribed radius, but now the extension
of the Metropolitan Police Act has put an entire stop to
these disorders. Other methods were adopted in past days
* London Evening Post, March 28, 1751.
48 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
to deter them from their predatory excursions. It was no
infrequent sight to see a gibbet adorning Shooter's Hill,
from which was hanging the body of some highwayman who
had been so unfortunate as to have been caught red-handed.
Friend Pepys (who had been on the merriest of all the
journeys he had ever made) felt a slight shudder as he ' rode
under the man that hangs upon Shooter's Hill, and a filthy
sight it was to see how his flesh is shrunk to his bones.'*
But the days of highwaymen on Blackheath are passed,
although a gang of young ruffians did attempt a revival
in 1877 ; but as they were all brought to justice, the mid-
night wayfarer, it is hoped, may now cross the heath in
perfect security.
The fairs formerly held on Blackheath were of very ancient
standing. They were held on that part of the heath which
lies in the parish of Lewisham. George, Lord Dartmouth,
obtained a grant from Charles II. to hold a fair twice a year
on that part of the heath within the manor of which he was
lord. Evelyn, who had a particularly intimate acquaintance
with Blackheath, mentions his visit to the fair on May i, 1683 :
' Blackheath to the new fair, being the first procured by the
Earl of Dartmouth. This was the first day, pretended for
the sale of cattle, but I think, in truth, to enrich the new
tavern (the Green Man) at the bowling green, erected by
Snape, his Majesty's farrier, a man full of projects. There
appeared nothing but an innumerable assembly of drinking
people from London, pedlars, etc., and I suppose it is too
neere London to be of any greate use to the country.' The
following is an example of the attractions provided :
<GEO. II. R.
' This is to give notice to all gentlemen, ladies, and
others, that there is to be seen from eight in the morning
till nine at night, at the end of the great booth on Black-
heath, a West of England woman 38 years of age, alive,
with two heads, one above the other, having no hands,
* Diary, April, u, 1661.
BLACKHEATH 49
fingers, nor toes ; yet can she dress or undress, knit, sew,
read, sing ( ? a duet with her two mouths). She has had
the honour to be seen by Sir Hans Sloane, and several of
the Royal Society.
' N.B. — Gentlemen and ladies may see her at their own
houses if they please. This great wonder never was shown
in England before this, the i3th day of May, 1741. Vivat
Rex /'*
The fair continued to flourish as a ' hog and pleasure ' fair
being held regularly on May 12 and October n, till it was
suppressed by Government in 1872. Some idea of the
condition of Blackheath in the old time of fairs may be
gathered from a visit on a Bank Holiday, \vhen the numbers
who flock to it will bear favourable comparison with those
that came for the state receptions, however much they may
be behind them in the matter of dress. Swings, roundabouts,
cockshies, and donkey-rides are then the order of the day,
and it is on occasions like these that the full benefit of this
roomy open space to the masses of London appears most
strikingly.
* ' Merrie England in the Olden Time.'
CHAPTER III.
BOSTAL HEATH-BOSTAL WOODS— PLUM STEAD COMMON
-SHOULDER OF MUTTON GREEN.
BOSTAL HEATH AND WOODS.
THESE open spaces are the most attractive of the
Kentish commons. Indeed, we may go so far as
to say that every other common of the Metropolis,
with the possible exception of Epping Forest, must
yield to them the palm of beauty. There are few places so
close to the busy hum of London which have retained so
sylvan a character, and although they are a favourite resort
of those living near, they are a terra incognita to the general
body of Londoners. As a place for a picnic they are ideal.
Rising gradually to a considerable height, they are crowned
by extensive stretches of pines and larches, whilst the view
from the top is unsurpassed for many a mile round. Wind-
ing at one's feet is the Thames, rendered beautiful by that
distance which lends enchantment to the view. Beyond lie
the Essex marshes, whilst in the distance can be seen the
forests of Epping and Hainault. Within the woods we are
favoured with the softest possible carpet of pine-needles, shed
by the larches and pines, which are the homes of the squirrel
and many a feathered songster. Our reveries in this delightful
spot will be broken from time to time by the rush of the timid
bunny, who makes for the nearest burrow, frightened at our
approach. At every opening we meet thick clumps of gorse
and bracken, whilst in the sandier spots the purple heather
and red sorrel greet us with ever-varying effect.
BOSTAL HEATH AND WOODS
We may quote a writer in the English Illustrated Magazine,
who says : * The Kentish group of commons is redeemed by
Bostal Heath from the charge of bareness and monotony,
and may boast that it contributes to the circle of London
commons one of the prettiest little bits to be found any-
where. It would be difficult to find a more delightful
example of the wild wooded common. Fortunately, it is too
far from Woolwich, too hilly, and perhaps too small, to offer
any temptations to drill-sergeants. It has therefore been
Main Walk to the Pines, Bostal Wood.
left in its natural condition, and most charming it is ; situate,
like Plumstead, on the top of the sand-hills, its knolls are
higher, and most delightful views of the marshes and river
may be had from them. On the other hand, the little gorges
which penetrate its sides are covered with wild verdure.
Young birches wave their delicate leaves and reflect the light
from their silvery stems. Purple heather mingles with
bright green or yellowing bracken and dark furze ; young
oaks give richness of foliage, and sandy scaurs add a touch
4-2
52 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
of orange. On the west the common is flanked by the
Scotch firs in the plantation of Sir Julian Goldsmid (Bostal
Woods), while one or two modern villas of bright red bricks
with gable roofs do no harm to the scene.'
All this and more can be said about Bostal Wood, which
is more thickly wooded than the heath. This portion is
also deeply scored with gorges, which, however, have the
advantage of being beautifully timbered with specimens of
oak, ash, birch, and chestnut, whilst the thick undergrowth
of holly gives it a verdant appearance even in the depth of
winter. The wood has several footpaths running through it,
which enable good views of its lovely valleys to be obtained.
Robert Bloomfield, the poet of Woolwich, sang of the
' Brown heaths that upward rise
And overlook the winding Thames.'
A poet might well revel in the beauties of Bostal, although
dejected with continued ill-health, as Bloomfield was.
The WToolwich group of commons seems to delight in the
possession of names the derivation of which baffles the
antiquary's skill. Bostal in this respect is similar to its
neighbour Plumstead. Bostal, or Borstal, is probably
derived from some word meaning ' woody,' which describes
its character, and is the nearest conjecture that can be
hit upon.*
Bostal Heath was one of the wastes of the Manor of
Plumstead, the property of Queen's College, Oxford, whose
rights were purchased under the Metropolitan Commons
Supplemental Act, 1877, for the sum of £5,000. The wood
was purchased under the London County Council General
Powers Act, 1891, the 62% acres costing £12,000, while
another 16 acres, the portion known as the Clam Field, were
added to the heath in 1894, at an additional cost of £3,350.
The Plumstead District Board contributed largely as the local
authority towards the several acquisitions.
A shade of romance has been thrown over Bostal Wood
* Vincent, ' Records of the Woolwich District,' vol. ii., p. 529.
BOSTAL HEATH AND WOODS 53
through the tradition that the caves under its edge furnished
a hiding-place for the notorious highwayman, Dick Turpin.
He must have visited a good many places, if we are to
believe all the traditions connected with his name. These
great chalk-pits are of curious formation, and many examples
exist in the locality. Some antiquaries call them ' dene
holes.' A central shaft is sunk from 20 to 40 feet, and at
the bottom the ground is excavated to form a chamber with
a dome-like roof, from which branch off corridors terminating
The Pines, looking South, Bostal Wood.
in smaller chambers. These are always found close to the
main road, and would so be extremely favourable for a
highwayman, who in due time could pounce upon a passer-by
and lighten him of some of his valuables. Must we bid this
romance vanish by saying that these caves have in all pro-
bability been excavated for their chalk for the repair of
the roads of the district ? Their peculiar shape may be
accounted for by the practice of ' picketing ' under the sur-
face, which miners generally follow till this day. Far more
wonderful even than these caves are the galleries made for
54 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
the chalk under the brickfields of Wickham Lane. Miles
of these subterraneous passages have been worked, and many
thousands of tons of chalk have been thus extracted.*
Bostal Wood may have decreased in area from its original
size, for Hasted, the Kentish historian, shows it in his map
of 1778 as extending across the valley to Wickham Lane,
and up the valley to Lodge Lane and Wickham Church.
This Wickham Lane must prove one of the most attractive
in the locality to a thoughtful mind. We are evidently
here on the site of an old Roman highway. The discovery
of Roman remains within 100 yards would make this
conjecture appear the more probable. To go back earlier
than this, it may have been the bed of a stream into which
the smaller rivulets which have carved out the combes
emptied their waters. The chalk sections yield many fossils,
and in the gravel-beds exist many remains of the great elk and
wild oxen which peopled these woods in prehistoric times. t
Wickham Lane possesses a building known as the Old
Manor-House, which would dispute with the house adjoining
St. Nicholas' Church the honour of being the manor-house
of Plumstead. At present it is a very decrepit structure,
and serves for two poor cottages, but it may be the remnant
or successor of some stately mansion. The name would not
come to it by pure accident, so perhaps it is the site of what
was once a building worthy of its present appellation. It
is a very picturesque object, and very dear to artists, who
may often be seen in the summer engaged in sketching it.
It may, perhaps, be the manor-house attached to the Manor
of Borstal, or Bostal, which was at the beginning of the
sixteenth century the property of John Cutte. In 1504 the
manor was purchased by the Abbot and Convent of West-
minster, and after the convent was dissolved it was still in
the possession of the Dean and Chapter. In consideration
of their being discharged from the maintenance of certain
students in the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, they
conveyed this manor, in 1545,^0 the King, who in the same
'-* Vincent, ' Records of the Woolwich District,5 vol. ii., p. 532. t Ibid.
BOSTAL HEATH AND WOODS
55
year granted it to Joan Wilkinson. It is now the property
of the Clothworkers' Company.*
This district contributed its' quota to the 20,000 men of
Kent who were led on by Jack Cade in his ill-fated insur-
rection. When the insurgents lost ground, a general pardon
was proclaimed, and although Cade was put to death, many
Old Manor-House in Wick ham Lane, 1886.
of his followers were reprieved. Among these seventy-four
who thus received the royal clemency was ' John Crabbe,
of Borstall.'t
From the high ground of the heath a good view can be
obtained of all that remains of Lesness Abbey, situate on
an adjoining hill. The district of Lesness or Lesnes (called
* Vincent, * Records of the Woolwich District.' f Ibid., p. 16
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Loisnes in Doomsday) was of considerable extent, and gave
its name to the hundred. The name of Abbey Wood, by
which the district is now known, is, of course, a relic of the
time when the abbey was the chief centre of interest here.
This ancient institution was founded in 1178 by Richard de
Lucy, Lord Chief Justice of England, at the time when he
was Regent of the kingdom during the absence of Henry II.
De Lucy seems to have resided at West Wood (now known
as Abbey Wood), and was as distinguished a soldier as he
was statesman.* Lesness Abbey took its title from the
Lessenesse, or ' little nose ' of land, now Crossness Point.
Lesness Abbey Ruins. (Drawn by Dr. Stukely in 1750.)
Very little remains of this once flourishing abbey. The
founder, acting in accordance with the spirit of the age in
which he lived, had built and endowed the monastery two
years before his death. Not content with this, he is said
to have retired from active life, and become the Prior of his
own convent, thinking that the taking of the monastic vow
would aid his passage to heaven. It is also remarkable to
note that he dedicated the church of the abbey to the Virgin
Mary and St. Thomas a Becket, though he had formerly
been excommunicated by him for ' being a favourer of his
sovereign, and a contriver of those heretical pravities, the
Constitutions of Clarendon.' In 1801 some of the dilapidated
walls were incorporated in farm buildings, and In 1844 the
* Thorne, 'Environs of London,' vol. i., p. i.
BOSTAL HEATH AND WOODS
57
greater portion of the remainder were cleared away to make
way for the present farmhouse (Abbey Farm). The abbey
flourished for nearly 350 years, and was one of the first
to suffer when the monasteries were dissolved by Henry VIII.
The revenues were taken to endow Christ's College, Oxford,
founded by Cardinal Wolsey in 1525. When Wolsey fell
into disfavour, however, the revenues, amounting to about
£200 a year, were taken from the college, and granted to
William Brereton, a gentleman of the Privy Chamber. He
did not live long to enjoy them, for the fickle monarch trumped
up a false charge against him two years later, and he was
Bostal Woods from Plumstead Common.
executed. After passing through various hands, the estates
came into possession of Christ's Hospital, the present owners.
The fragments that remain are part of the original outer
walls, and an open path leads up to them. The walls of
the convent garden, the most perfect relic, still enclose a
vegetable-garden and orchard. The modern farmhouse on
the hillside facing the marsh, called Abbey Farm, is on the
site of the Abbey Grange. A pleasant country lane leads
up from Abbey Wood Railway-station to the high ground
of Lesness Heath and Bostal Heath, from which charming
views of the surrounding country can be obtained. On
58 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Lesness Heath there are some particularly fine trees, one
gigantic old yew being especially conspicuous. It was split
into two parts during a strong wind in 1882, but was formerly
of great girth.
To the north of the heath, on the slopes of the Bostal
hills, is Suffolk Place Farm, so called from having once been
the property of the Dukes of Suffolk, and possibly a ducal
residence. In the Admiralty accounts mention is made that
the Duke of Suffolk sent a contribution of timber from
' Plumstede in Kent ' for the building of the Great Harry,
and a State Paper of the reign of Henry VIII. informs us
that the King's agent at Plumstead, Sir Edward Boughton,
had a charge against * my lord of Suffolk ' in 1534 for his
share in the cost of repairing the marsh wall.* The Duke
of Suffolk referred to in these entries was the celebrated
Charles Brandon, the favourite of Henry VIII. In child-
hood he had been the playmate of his future Sovereign and
his sister, Princess Mary, whom he ultimately married. In
1313 he took part in a desperate conflict with a French
squadron off Brest, and on his return was created Viscount
Lisle. Shortly after he accompanied the King in the in-
vasion of France, and was next rewarded by being made
Duke of Suffolk. Meanwhile, Princess Mary had been
married to the old French King, Louis XII., who witnessed
from a coach the gallant exploits of Brandon at the tourna-
ments. Louis died in less than three months, and his young
and beautiful widow was privately married two months after-
wards to her old playmate and first love, Brandon. Henry
at first showed signs of disapproval ; but he soon forgave
them, and they were publicly married at Greenwich, the
Duke receiving at the same time from the King a grant of
the great estates which had formerly belonged to Edmund
de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk, together with an immense dowry.
The Duke readily gave his support to all the measures which
led to the Reformation, and was rewarded with large grants
of the forfeited monastic lands. This will probably account
** Vincent, ' Records of the Woolwich District,' vol. ii., p. 527.
BOSTAL HEATH AND WOODS
59
for his possession of an estate at Plumstead. He sold Suffolk
Place in 1535 to Sir Martin Bowes, of Woolwich. In the
middle of the seventeenth century it was in the possession
of Sir Robert Jocelyn, by whom it was conveyed to the New
England Company, or, to give them their full title, the
Company for the Propagation of the Gospel at Boston in
New England.
On Bostal Heath.
The lane leading on to the heath from Wickham Lane
is known as Lodge Lane, and its name has been conjecturally
attributed to Goldie Leigh Lodge, a pleasant house in the
grounds east of the wood. The place is> however, described
in the book for the churchwardens of Plumstead, 1701, as
Logge's Hill, and was first called Loge Hill in 1736.
The house is named after one of the family of Sir John
Leigh, who was a large owner of property in the neighbour-
6o OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
hood.* To the right of the lane is the immense field to
which it was proposed to transfer the Epsom races, in-
cluding the Derby and the Oaks.
PLUMSTEAD COMMON.
Plumstead Common, a fine open space of some 100 acres,
is a wide-stretching, elevated plateau, broken in places by
depressions in the surface. The greater portion of the
common is flat and bare, but some parts are very beautiful,
especially the steep fragment at the east end known as the
Slade,
The origin of the name of Plumstead has baffled the skill
of most antiquaries. Lysons does not attempt to give any
explanation, so that we must content ourselves with con-
jectures. The name has not undergone any changes during
the past centuries. In Doomsday Book it is written ' Plum-
stede ' ; in 1631 it occurs as ' Plumsted ' ; so that we are not
able to get out of the difficulty by this means. Many
authorities can give no better origin than the stead, or place,
of plums. This is well known as a rich fruit-producing
neighbourhood, and it is surmised therefore that the plums
of its orchards are the source of the name of Plumstead.
It would require a considerable stretch of imagination to
suppose that the orchards of Plumstead were established at
the time of the Doomsday survey. Of course an antiquary
could not accept so simple a derivation, so we must mention
some other solutions of the problem. A former curate of
the parish suggests that the people who lived here collected
from the wild-geese and herons of the marshes the plumes to
ornament the Court beauties, and to furnish quills for the
scribes of the monasteries, and so the district came to be
known as Plume-place or Plumestead. One other ingenious
conjecture is that the name is connected with plump, or
clump of trees, and that the woods which crowned the hills
or clothed their sides supplied the name.f
* Vincent, ' Records of the Woolwich District,' vol. ii., p. 531.
f Ibid., pp. 486, 487.
PLUM STEAD COMMON 61
The earliest record we have of this district dates back to
960, when the Manor of Plumstead was given by King
Edgar to the Abbot and Convent of St. Augustine in
Canterbury. The abbey was robbed of this possession by
Godwin, Earl of Kent, who settled it upon his son Tostins,
or Tostan. He was slain in a rebellion against his brother
Harold, when Plumstead and the rest of his estates reverted
to the Crown. William the Conqueror gave the manor to
Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, who was persuaded, through the
intercession of Archbishop Lanfranc, to restore a moiety of
it to St. Augustine's, which grant of the Bishop's was con-
firmed by the Conqueror's charter. In 1074 he gave the
other half to the monks, and the whole manor remained in
their hands till Henry VIII., the first Defender of the Faith,
deprived all the monasteries of their landed possessions. The
King only retained the manor for a few months, for in 1539
he granted it to Sir Edward Boughton, who was agent not
only for the King, but also for Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell
at Plumstead. The estate continued in the Boughton family
till 1685, when it, was sold to John Michel of Richmond,
Surrey, who by his will dated 1736 devised the Manor of
Plumstead to the Provost and scholars of Queen's College,
Oxford, for the maintenance of eight master fellows and four
bachelor scholars, with allowances of £50 and £30 a year
respectively, the surplus to be laid out in the purchase of
livings.* In course of time Plumstead Common shared
the fate of many other commons of the Metropolis, and
many bits on its borders began to be nibbled away, and
given in the early part of this century to poor widows to
keep them from the workhouse. But after 1850 more
serious enclosures began to be made, and the trustees of
the college commenced selling large plots of the land in
several places. Plumstead was at this time but a little
village, and was very slow to take any action about these
appropriations of its common land. At length in 1866 an
action was brought by John Warrick, Mr. (afterwards Sir)
* Lysons, ' Environs of London,' 1811, vol. i., part ii., pp. 573, 574.
62
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Julian Goldsmid, Messrs. Dawson and Jacobs, against the
college, which was decided in favour of the plaintiffs in
1870. This judgment was confirmed when the college
appealed, and they were ordered to remove all the fences
they had erected on the common since 1866. This decision
would probably have settled all disputes if a fresh claim to
Jacobs' Smithy, Plumstead Common.
the common had not been put in. This was by the War
Office, who claimed the right of exercising troops on the
common, by virtue of an immemorial user.* Although the
military authorities had undoubtedly had this privilege, they
had made very little use of it till 1870, when the outbreak of
the Franco-German War roused England to defensive action.
* Preamble of Plumstead Common Act, 1878.
PLUM STEAD COMMON 63
Woolwich Common was not large enough to accommodate
all the troops for drilling, and so Plumstead began to be
freely used for this purpose, with the result that its whole
area became a barren desert. This once more roused the
indignation of the inhabitants, and protests were sent to the
War Office, and also to the Metropolitan Board of Works,
urging them to formulate a scheme for the preservation of
the common. It is well known that public bodies are not
over hasty in their movements, and their progress did not
satisfy the anxious inhabitants, who became so impatient
that it needed very little for them to be roused into taking
the law into their own hands. They found their champion
in a John de Morgan, who by his inflammatory speeches
incited the people into committing several acts of violence
in the way of pulling down and destroying the fences and
gates of several properties which were supposed to have
formed part of the common at one time. These forcible
measures could not pass by unnoticed, and the leaders were
brought to trial, with the result that Morgan was sentenced
to two months' imprisonment, which was, however, revoked
after seventeen days, owing to the strenuous efforts of his
friends.* In the meantime the long-desired object had been
attained by the Plumstead Common Act, 1878, which placed
the common under the jurisdiction of the late Metropolitan
Board of Works, whose duties are now discharged by the
London County Council, the victories of peace being in this
case at any rate greater than those of war. Under the
provisions of this Act the Provost and scholars of Queen's
College, Oxford, received £10,000 for their manorial rights,
£ 6,000 being found by the late Board, and the remainder by
the War Office. Of the 100 acres thus preserved from en-
croachment for public use, the War Office have the power of
drilling over 77. In 1884 an addition was made to the
common by the purchase of a small plot rejoicing in the
uninviting title of Sots' Hole. This was formerly a hollow
place on the northern side of the highway, which had been
* Vincent, * Records of the Woolwich District,' vol. ii., pp. 588, 590.
64 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
left when the road was raised. It was afterwards used as a
dust -shoot until it became level ground. There were a
couple of old cottages standing in it, one of which had been
a tavern, and was said to have given to the place its ugly
name.* A very peculiar circumstance happened here in 1858.
A man had been collecting road-scrapings with a horse and
cart on the common opposite these two cottages, which
were then some 12 feet below the level of the roadway, and
he attempted to back the cart into the channel. The cart,
which was loaded, crossed the footpath (an inclined plane)
and after breaking through the hedge, fell over and went
through the front-wall of the old building, horse, cart, and
contents alighting in the family parlour. Three children
who were sitting by the fire escaped almost by a miracle,
but it took two hours to extricate the horse. f
The late Board, in their Various Powers Act, 1885, obtained
sanction to carry out some important alterations with regard
to Plumstead Common. The first of these was an exchange
with the London School Board, by which a portion of the
common was given to them for the erection of schools in
return for some of their land, which was added to the
common. The second was the abandonment of the gravel-
digging, which was claimed as a right by the Woolwich
Local Board of Health. The rights of the Local Board
were extinguished by the payment of £500. Another ex-
change was carried out under Parliamentary powers in 1891,
which enabled the Provost and Fellows of Queen's College,
Oxford, to develop a building estate adjoining Old Mill
Road. Subsequent additions have been made by the acquisi-
tion of Jacobs' Sand-pit, and the purchase of a piece of land
at the corner of Purrett Road from the British Land Company.
Plumstead Common and its surrounding neighbourhood
are rich in historical associations. Excavations which have
been made from time to time tend to prove that this was
formerly a Roman settlement. The unearthing in 1887 of
* Vincent, ' Records of the Woolwich District,' vol. ii., p. 583.
f Kentish Independent, February 13, 1858.
PLUM STEAD COMMON 65
a leaden coffin and skeleton and other remains at Wickham
Lane, make it probable that this district was either the site
of a Roman cemetery, or of a villa of some wealthy Roman.
The leaden coffin, which was in an excellent state of pre-
servation, had upon the lid a border of blue beadwork, and
has been assigned by eminent authorities to some date between
A.D. 200 and 400. The coffin is now in the Maidstone
Museum, while the ancient bones were interred in the
churchyard.*
An ancient mound or barrow in the centre of the eastern
division of the common, beyond the Slade, is a relic of another
class of burials. The nature of its loamy soil, quite unlike
the sand and gravel of the common, points to the im-
probability of its being a natural hillock. The material was
perhaps brought from a distance to build the earthen tumulus
of some great, chieftain. There are depressions across it
north to south and east to west, which may either mark the
lines of excavations, or show where the cross-passages of the
mausoleum have fallen in. This barrow has been put to
practical uses in times past as a butt for artillery practice.
A map at the Royal Artillery Institution, drawn about 1740,
represents a party of gentlemen cadets at mortar practice on
Plumstead Common using the mound as a butt.f
The part between the common and the river Thames at
some time or other was under water at every high-tide. It
is a question of much doubt at what period the river was
embanked. One theory would place it as early as 400 A.D.,
saying that the great embankment from London to the
Medway was all constructed by the Romans. But as no
mention of this embankment is made in Doomsday Book, it
would certainly appear likely that it was made after 1086.
Even after this the marshes were often flooded, and it is
probable that the monks of Lesness Abbey more than once
reclaimed the land from the river. Lambarde tells us that
in 1279 ' the Abbat and Covent of Lyesnes inclosed a great
* Vincent, 'Records of the Woolwich District,' vol. i., pp. 11-13.
f Ibid., pp. 14, 15.
5
66
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
part of their marshe in Plumsted, and within 12 yeeres after
they inned the rest also to their great benefite.'* Plumstead
Church must have stood on the very beach. It is dedicated
to St. Nicholas, the patron saint of fishermen, and it may
have been from the high ground here that the early fishers
took to their boats. The chalk spur which descends from
the common, and serves as a solid foundation for the church,
would give some colour to this conjecture. The projecting
1 rock ' on the common, too, is supposed by some to be a
View of Plumstead Marshes from the Common, 1851.
portion of a headland which existed when the river w7as not
embanked. The fishermen's cottages were built along the
strand, and the large field known as the Strand Field, which
slopes from the highroad to the marshland, was probably the
site of the fisher village. The adjacent High Street was
formerly known as Strand Place. In this Strand Field old
tiles and other remnants of buildings, together with many
coins of early date, are often found.f
* ' Perambulation of Kent,' 1 596, p. 440.
f Vincent, ' Records of the Woolwich District,' vol. ii., pp. 490-492.
PLUM STEAD COMMON 67
A workhouse once stood on the common near the Slade,
on the site of Winn's Cottages. It was only a small affair,
and its successor situate at Cage Lane, where Agnes Place
now stands, was partly built of the old materials. In con-
nection with this workhouse, we may just quote an entry
from the accounts of the churchwardens and overseers of
Plumstead for 1701. It relates to the convenient practice
of buying a husband for a workhouse inmate. It runs as
follows :
Wedding ring for Mary Tatterson ...
Marriage fees do. do.
Paid her husband
£ s. d.
...060
... 0 II 0
coo
Do. for the wedding dinner
... II 0
^6 18 o
We hope he never had any occasion to regret this bargain,
and that they lived happily ever afterwards.*
The old mill on the common, which added such picturesque-
ness to the view, was the scene of a startling occurrence, in
1827, on the occasion of a sham fight on the common. A
number of persons were gathered on the staging round the
mill to see the fight, when it suddenly gave way, and many
of the spectators were seriously injured. The ever-advancing
invasion of the suburbs by the workers of the Metropolis
made a mill out of date, and it was allowed to fall into
decay, till, about 1848, it was converted into a public-house. t
The Vicarage of St. Margaret's Church, situated at the
north-west corner of the common, is one of the best remaining
houses of Old Plumstead. The mansion is now known as
Bramblebury House, although formerly called Bramblebriars.
In the grounds is a cypress-tree, said to be 150 years old.
This was planted by a relation of Captain Dickinson, super-
intendent of Ordnance shipping, who resided here in 1811.
After his death his widow, Lady Dickinson, lived here for a
* Vincent, * Records of the Woolwich District,' vol. ii., p. 524.
f Ibid^ p. 533.
5—2
68
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
number of years. The whole of the district called Vicarage
Park was formerly included in its grounds.*
Adjacent to St. Nicholas' Church is Plumstead Manor-
House, known as Court Lodge or Manor-House ; but this
house must once have been the vicarage of the parish.
Beneath the house are extensive vaults, now used as cellars,
containing carved arches and doorways of stone. It is sur-
The Old Mill, Plumstead Common, in 1820.
mised that the church, or some monastic building, must have
covered the spot at some remote period, as these vaults could
never have been designed for mere cellars.
Several of the roads in the vicinity of the common have
names which are relics of agricultural days. Timbercroft
Lane, Swingate Lane, and Plum Lane may be taken as
examples. We have mentioned before, in connection with
* Vincent, 'Records of the Woolwich District/ vol. ii., p. 550.
PLUMSTEAD COMMON 69
the derivation of the word ' Plumstead,' that this was a rich
fruit-producing neighbourhood. Cherries were first acclima-
tized in this part of England ; and pippins, too, were first
grown here, when they were brought over the sea in the
sixteenth century.* A youth of Plumstead, aged ten, who is
buried in the churchyard of St. Nicholas, fell a victim to his
fondness for his native fruit. He was killed in a tree whilst
taking cherries, by the owner of the orchard. The stone
was restored in 1870 by public subscription, upon which is
inscribed this peculiar epitaph :
' The hammer of death was given to me
For eating the cherris off the tree.'f
In addition to these records of former industries, other
names remain to remind us of bygone times. Cage Lane
tells of the old cage, or lock-up, which stood at the lower
end. The stocks were on the western side of the cage, and
the parish well was in the rear. Plumstead not being suffi-
ciently rural to retain its stocks, they have disappeared,
together with the cage, and only the name survives. Burrage
Road and Burrage Town, or West Plumstead, take us back
to the early days of Edward III. and the Black Prince. The
name should be ' Burghesh,' after a Norman nobleman,
Lord Bartholomew de Burghesh, who had his seat at Plum-
stead. His son who inherited the property changed his
name to Lord Burwash, and the family pedigree goes to show
that the poet Chaucer was among his descendants. From
Burwash the name was gradually softened to Burrage. The
original name of Burghesh is retained as the second title of
the Earl of Westmoreland.J
Another name which has changed is Skittles Lane. This
was in 1849 KiddePs Lane, from Mr. Kiddel, who owned a
small farm on it. Both forms have now disappeared, for at
the request of the inhabitants it has been renamed Riverdale
Road.
* Vincent, * Records of the Woolwich District,' vol. ii., p. 486.
f Thorne, ' Environs of London,' vol. ii., p. 472.
I Vincent, ' Records of the Woolwich District,3 vol. ii., pp. 543, 544-
70 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Before we leave the common we may just call attention to
the sandpits which formerly existed at the eastern end, which
have now been filled up and covered with furze. These local
sandpits furnish a peculiar loam, which is in much request
for metal casting ; but they were probably worked in ancient
times for the valuable silver sand they contained.
Included in the purchase of Plumstead Common was a
small open space of some 5 acres in extent, called Shoulder
of Mutton Green. Its distinctive shape accounts for this
peculiar appellation. As a matter of fact it is outside the
county of London, although in the same manor as Plumstead
Common, and is the village green of Wickham parish. This
rural spot has seen nothing out of the common to distinguish
it from any other quiet village green. At the time when
Plumstead Common was threatened, an attempt was made
to enclose this green, but the railings were promptly pulled
up by the inhabitants. In years to come this may become a
busy spot, but it is to be hoped that it will retain its rural
quietness for many ages.
CHAPTER IV.
BROCK WELL PARK—DULWICH PARK.
BRQCKWELL PARK.
THIS comparatively new park, 84 acres in extent, has
already established itself in the esteem of South
Londoners. No doubt its favourable situation, close
to an important railway junction, has something to
do with this, for although its nearest neighbour, Dulwich Park,
may appear to some more attractive, it has not the advantage of
ready access which Brockwell possesses, and so is not so well
known. The beauty of Brockwell Park consists in its wildness,
if such an expression can be used of a well-kept park. In
other words, one does not come here to see gay flower-beds,
stately palms, and all the other attendant advantages of'laid-
out ' gardens, but to admire the beauties of Nature unadorned :
long stretches of undulating lawn, dotted here and there
with fine specimen forest trees. When it was bought for the
people of London, it was already a park — not a park site.
From different points in the grounds there are several ' little
bits ' that an artist might be delighted to paint just as he
finds them. Not only is the park a beautiful one, but its
surroundings are, at least for the present, equally charming.
Ruskin, who resided for some time at 30, Herne Hill, has
described the beauties of Croxted Lane in his ' Praeterita.'
The main entrance to the park is almost opposite the gates
of Herne Hill Station, which, by the way, is not on a hill at
all, but in a depression between Herne Hill and Brockwell
72 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Park. From the three main roads which skirt the park —
Norwood Road, Dulwich Road, and Trinity Road — the
ground gently slopes upward to a mansion which crowns
the hill. Leaving the mansion, there is a depression, and
then the park slopes up again toTulse Hill. This is probably
the only spot within four miles of Bow Bells where ' the
building rooks still caw '; but to judge by the nests, there
are yet in this park two rookeries of the right sort. The best
views are obtained from the hill on which the mansion stands.
From the side towards London, the Victoria Tower of the
Houses of Parliament stands out conspicuously, and on a
fine day the view extends as far as the hills of Harrow,
Highgate, and Hampstead, while the intervening distance is
dotted with graceful church spires. On the other side is the
ridge of the Sydenham and Norwood hills, crowned with
the gigantic Crystal Palace, flashing back the sunlight from
its thousands of panes. The bare, lumpy, clay height of
Thurlow Hill in the mid-distance only sets off to greater
advantage the wooded slopes beyond. In its original form
the new park only wanted a little water to give it life and
variety, and this has been introduced in the form of a large
ornamental lake with two or three smaller pools artistically
-arranged with rustic bridges and waterfalls between them.
The large lake is available for bathing at certain hours, and
is of such depth as to admit of a good header from a stage
projecting out from the bank. The necessary shelters have
been erected at one side, and the numerous seats around the
lake are extensively patronized when bathing is not in pro-
gress. Brockwell Park is a regular home of sports, large
areas being reserved for cricket, football, and lawn-tennis.
There is a bandstand, constructed of rustic materials to
harmonize with the surroundings, the upper part of which
forms a home for pigeons, who, we hope, are lovers of music.
The amusements of the children are also looked after, and a
gymnasium is provided for them, where they may romp and
swing to their hearts' content.
And now the last feature to be described in connection
BROCKWELL PARK
73
with the park is one which is peculiar to itself — viz., the old
garden. When the park was taken over, this was used as
the kitchen-garden. It is walled in on all four sides, but the
walls are covered with roses and fruit-trees, so that there is
no bareness to offend the eye. Inside the walls, we find
ourselves within a garden laid out in the old-fashioned formal
In the Old Garden, Brockwell Park.
geometrical style, and it is a quaint and pleasing specimen
of the kind found at many stately old castles and halls. As
this is the only park which boasts of such a garden, a few
words on the formal style of gardening adopted here may not
be out of place. The difference between the ' formal ' and
the ' natural ' styles is practically this :
' The formal school insists upon design ; the house and
74 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
the grounds should be designed together, and in relation to
each other. No attempt should be made to conceal the
design of the garden, there being no reason for doing so ; but
the bounding lines, whether it is the garden wall or the lines
of paths and parterres, should be shown frankly and un-
reservedly. . . . The landscape gardener, on the other hand,
turns his back upon architecture at the earliest opportunity,
and devotes his energies to making the garden suggest natural
scenery, to giving a false impression as to its size by sedulously
concealing all boundary lines, and to modifying the scenery
beyond the garden itself by planting or cutting down trees,
as may be necessary to what he calls his picture.'*
Whatever faults may be found with the * formal ' style of
gardening, this small example in Brockwell Park is a great
favourite with the general public. The paths, edged with
box, are rigidly straight, leading to circular flower-beds, and
one can well imagine that the whole area was designed with
a ruler and pair of compasses. The planting has been con-
fined to roses and old English garden plants, all flourishing
in their natural wildness. In the centre of the garden a
small fountain adds life to the scene, and in the corner a
well which was here formerly has been capped with the old-
fashioned rope and bucket winding- gear as appropriate to the
rustic simplicity of the place. Round the walks at intervals
rustic shelters are placed which have been quite covered with
creepers, and on one of the walls is an old sundial, which
only needs an inscription to be complete. The impression
left on the mind by a visit to this little corner of the park
will be quite as pleasing as the most elaborate carpet-bedding
to which it forms so striking a contrast.
Brockwell Park is a lasting memorial to the energy and
enterprise of South London. It was a cause of no little
rivalry between certain sections of the community. Some
few years ago Raleigh House, a historical mansion situated
in the Brixton Road, was in the market together with its
grounds, amounting in all to about 10 acres. Part of this
* Blomfield and Thomas, 'The Formal Garden in England,' pp. 10, n.
BROCKWELL PARK
75
property could not be built upon, owing to the provisions of
the Rush Common Act. A movement was at once set on
foot to purchase the grounds for a public park. A subscrip-
tion-list was opened, contributions were promised by local
A Band Performance in Brockwell Park.
bodies, and the Raleigh Park Act, 1888, was passed, one of
the clauses of which empowered the late Metropolitan Board
of Works to contribute £1,000 per acre towards the cost.
While these preparations were in full swing, attention was
called to a more favourable site, namely Brockwell Park,
76 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
some 78 acres of which were for sale at a cost of £1,500
per acre, as compared with £4,000 for Raleigh Park. After
lengthy negotiations extending over some years, the details
of which cannot be given here, the scheme for obtaining
Raleigh Park was abandoned, the Act was repealed, and the
beautiful grounds of Brockwell Park purchased at a cost of
nearly £120,000, towards which the London County Council
gave £61,000, the Charity Commissioners £25,000, Lambeth
Vestry £20,000, Camberwell Vestry £6,000, Newington
Vestry £5,000, the Ecclesiastical Commissioners £500, to
which were added many private subscriptions.
It was a great event in South London when on Whit-
Monday, June 6, 1892, the Earl of Rosebery, Chairman of the
Council, formally opened the park to the public. The pro-
ceedings were, however, marred by one painful incident.
Soon after the termination of Lord Rosebery's speech, Mr.
Bristowe, M.P. for Norwood, who had taken so active a part
in the acquisition of the park, was suddenly seized with a fit,
and in spite of the efforts of many medical men who were
present, he never rallied and expired about noon from heart
disease. He was a man of such quiet and unassuming
manners that he never made any reference to the work he
did in connection with the park, but it is right to mention
that when there was a great degree of uncertainty as to
whether the park would be purchased at all, he himself
guaranteed a sum of £60,000 in order to secure it. The first
object visible on entering the park from Herne Hill is a
memorial to him in the shape of a drinking-fountain. It
consists of a bust, over life-size, surmounted on a high
pedestal with ornate capital. On the front of the pedestal
stands in full relief a life-size figure of Perseverance presenting
a branch of laurel ; in the base under the statue is a bronze
panel, gilt, of children at play. The entire memorial, which
is the work of Messrs. Farmer and Brindley, stands about
16 feet high, and is constructed throughout of white mountain
limestone. The inscription is as follows :
BROCKWELL PARK 77
THOMAS LYNN BRISTOWE,
M.P. FOR NORWOOD
1885—1892.
READY TO EVERY GOOD WORK,
HE LED THE MOVEMENT FOR THE
ACQUISITION OF THESE BROAD
ACRES AS A PUBLIC PARK, WITH
GREAT TACT AND ENERGY, AND
DIED SUDDENLY IN THE VERY
MOMENT OF HIS UNSELFISH TRIUMPH
AT THE OPENING OF THE PARK ON
WHIT MONDAY, 1892.
HIS FRIENDS AND NEIGHBOURS,
OF EVERY SHADE OF POLITICAL
OPINION, DEDICATE THIS FOUNTAIN
TO HIS MEMORY
1893.
Some four years after Brockwell Park was opened to the
public, a much-needed improvement was effected which much
increased the value of the park to the residents of Brixton.
This was the formation of a new entrance across a narrow
neck of land between Arlingford Road and the bathing lake.
After some lengthy negotiations, this strip • about 3 \ acres
in extent was purchased together with two other small
plots for the sum of £6,000 and £200 costs. The western
boundary of the land had some very fine old trees, and
there were also two small ponds which were afterwards
enlarged and formed into ornamental lakes connected by a
rocky channel, and embellished with cascades and marginal
planting. These waters on the new ground are connected
with the bathing lake and the other pools by a miniature
waterfall, and the whole forms a chain of lakes at varying
levels, with a very pleasing effect. The water leaves the last
of the lakes by a small stream which winds throughout the
remainder of the land. The new entrance, which was laid
out at a cost of about £1,800, was opened on March 14, 1896.
Brockwell Park must rest for its attraction on the beauty
of its landscape, and not upon any wealth of historical asso-
78 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
ciations. Many years ago the river Effra flowed past what
is now the boundary of the park. The house of the pro-
prietor of the rustic timber-works facing the park is built
over this stream. Its course can be traced by means of old
maps. Rising in the high ground of Norwood, it ran down
Croxted Lane, receiving an affluent from the east by the
Half-Moon Inn. From the Half-Moon, skirting Brockwell
The Cascade, Brockwell Park.
Park, it ran along Water Lane, down to the Brixton Road,
and eventually made its way into the Thames at Vauxhall
Creek.*
If it is true, as some say, that Queen Elizabeth sailed up
the Effra to a point beyond Brockwell Park, she must neces-
sarily have gazed upon its verdant slopes. The Effra, having
* Notes and Queries, No. 198, p. 282.
BROCKWELL PARK 79
diminished to a brook, is now used as a sewer, and has
therefore practically disappeared.
Some 300 years ago there stood in Brockwell Park, close
to what is now Norwood Road, an old manor-house, in which
dwelt Count Lilly. His portrait hangs to this day in Brock-
well House. From this time to the beginning of the present
century we must draw a veil. Then we find the mansion
and surrounding lands in the possession of a Mr. Ogbourne.
He sold the property in 1809 to John Blades, who was Sheriff
of the City of London in 1812. It was this owner who pulled
down the old house and caused the present mansion to be
erected from the designs of Mr. D. Reddell Roper, of Great
Stamford Street.* The new site is infinitely superior to the
old one, commanding as it does such a variety of views from
its elevated position. Upon the death of Mr. Blades in 1829,
the park came into the hands of his son-in-law Mr. Joshua
Blackburn, from whom it descended to the late owner, Mr.
Joshua John Blades Blackburn. The mansion has not much
pretension to architectural beauty, but is one of those plain
and solid structures which are characteristic of the time it
was erected. Part of it is now used as a residence for some
of the park officials, whilst a large room on the ground-floor
serves for a refreshment-house. The walls have recently been
embellished by fine mural paintings representing typical Kng-
lish scenes. These were the work and gift of Mr. J. St. Loe
Strachey and his brother.
There is a story current which has been put forward by
some as an explanation of the name which the park bears.
It is said that the property was once called ' Badger's Well,'
from being the home of the badger in old time, and that as
' brock ' is the old Saxon word for ' badger,' Brockwell was
probably substituted for brevity afterwards. In the absence
of any other derivation we must accept this as the probable
origin of the name.
These few details, then, represent the whole of the history
of Brockwell Park. A place of such charm and public interest
deserves to have more romance connected with it.
* Brayley, ' History of Surrey,' vol. iii., p. 379.
8o
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
DULWICH PARK.
Dulwich Park is pleasantly situated in the shallow valley
which stretches from Dulwich village towards Lordship Lane
Station. The principal entrance is facing the old college
chapel, hard by the famous picture-gallery, and taking our
stand here we obtain an excellent view across the park to
the surrounding hills, dotted with graceful church spires.
College Gate and Superintendent's Lodge, Dulwich Park.
The Crystal Palace is within sight, only a mile distant, while
closer at hand is Dulwich College School, hidden from view
by the belts of giant trees which give the neighbourhood so
rural an appearance. Another good view of the park is
obtained from the high ground of Lordship Lane, from
which point of advantage the ground is seen spread out as
a map at one's feet. Dulwich is certainly a delightful
suburb ; all the year round the thrush charms us with her
song, and the fine old houses with their grounds cluster
DULWICH PARK 81
round the park with a repetition of its beauties on a smaller
scale. It is particularly free from the loafing population,
which lolls upon the grass in St. James's Park thick as wind-
falls in an orchard. Though open to all, it is specially
frequented by a superior class of visitors from the immediate
neighbourhood; but now that the park is becoming better
known, the circle has been extended, and on Sundays
especially, Dulwich is blocked with vehicles and omnibuses
plying from various parts.
The park was a free gift, so far as the land is concerned,
on the part of the governors of Dulwich College. This gift
required the confirmation of Parliament, which assent was
obtained in May, 1885. Among other provisions of the Acts
governing the transfer, it is enacted that no music or public
meetings are to be allowed in the park ; although the former
restriction is of doubtful advantage, the result is certainly
attained of keeping out the noisy element.
The park comprises 72 acres, and has been valued at
£1,000 an acre, so that it is apparent that the gift was no
inconsiderable one. The land, which consisted of a series
of meadows covered with old oaks of good size, conveniently
undulating in surface, adapted itself very easily to laying-out.
Near the centre of the park is a lake covering 3 acres, which,
although not deep enough for boating or swimming, quite
suffices for the dignity of several swans which ride proudly
on its surface, and the broods of ducks which make it their
home. The water quits the lake by means of a miniature
waterfall, below which a tiny rivulet winds for some distance
through a well-kept lawn to its exit from the park. A rustic
bridge is thrown across this, whilst the carriage-road traverses
it on a stone bridge, which bears on its parapet the carved
arms of the late Metropolitan Board of Works. Large areas
are set apart for cricket and tennis, which are crammed to
their fullest extent on Saturday afternoons. The American
garden with its rhododendrons, azaleas and roses, presents
gorgeous masses of bloom in season ; but the feature of the
park from a horticultural point of view is the rockwork
6
82
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
planted with showy Alpine and rock plants, which are
acknowledged to be second only to those of Kew. The
banks of bloom which they furnish in the early spring are
certainly worth a visit. The most extensive gardening of
this kind is on either side of the carriage - road, passing
through the Snake's Lane and Court Lane entrances. The
broad strips on each side of the roads have been planted in
a semi-wild style. Appearing alternately with the rockwork
are little dells, bright with daisies, primroses, polyanthus,
View of Lake, Dulwich Park.
crocuses and snowdrops in the spring, whilst stumps of
trees covered with ivies and creepers add a picturesque
wildness to the scene. Such are some of the beauties of a
park where everything is bright and gay. The buildings
which are very complete comprise two entrance lodges, a
large refreshment-house, lavatories, rustic shelters, a cricket
pavilion, and an aviary well stocked with British and other
birds. Altogether some £40,000 has been spent in laying
out and planting the park, providing fences and lodges, and
the thousand and one things which complete the public
DULWICH PARK 83
enjoyment. Although the negotiations for the transfer of
the land were carried on by the late Metropolitan Board of
Works, who also executed the greater portion of the work of
laying out, the duty of opening fell upon Lord Rosebery, the
first Chairman of the London County Council, the ceremony
taking place in June, 1890.
Indirectly, Dulwich Park forms another memorial to the
generosity of Edward Alleyn, the friend and comrade of
Shakespeare, who in 1606 purchased the Manor of Dulwich,
and devoted it to the foundation of a college for the mainten-
ance of twelve poor men and women, and the education and
support of as many children, with a master, a warden, and
four fellows. This was the beginning of what he called
' God's gift,' which has developed now to such gigantic
proportions. The rich estates are administered by the
Dulwich College Estate governors. Alleyn was born in
1566, and became an actor of no mean attainments. He
took a prominent part in several of Shakespeare's plays the
first time they were acted, and rose to possess considerable
shares in the leading theatres of his time. He died in
November, 1626, and was buried in the chapel of the college.
The Manor of Dulwich was part of the possessions of the
rich monks of Bermondsey, to whom it was given by Henry I.
in the year 1127. No mention of the manor is made in
Doomsday Book, from which we may infer that at that time
it was an insignificant village. Indeed, so late as the reign
of Charles II. the number of persons who were assessed to
the hearth-tax did not reach forty. The monks of Bermondsey
retained Dulwich in their hands till their monastery was
suppressed and their lands confiscated in 1537-8. Henry VIII.
did not hold the manor for very long, for he granted it in
1545, together with the manor-house known as 'The Hall
Place,' to Thomas Calton, to be held at the annual rent of
£1 133. gd. The grant also included the advowson of the
vicarage of Camberwell, which had been granted to Ber-
mondsey Abbey by Robert, Earl of Gloucester, son of Henry I.
Thomas Calton's grandson, Sir Francis Calton, sold the
6—2
84 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
manor to Edward Alleyn for the sum of £5,000, in addition
to an amount of 800 marks (£533 6s. 8d.) for the patronage.*
In referring to the transaction, Alleyn says he paid for the
manor ' one thousand pounds more than any other man
would have given for it.' As we have seen, the lordship
of the manor is now vested in the Dulwich College Estate
governors.
The derivation of the name Dulwich is involved in some
obscurity. In various deeds the word appears in the follow-
ing forms : Dylways, Dilwisshe, Dilewistre, Dullag. The last
part wick occurs both in Anglo-Saxon and Norman names.
In the former it means a station on land, a house or village,
whilst with the Normans it was a station for ships, a creek
or bay. The way out of the difficulty, and a most reasonable
one, too, is to suppose that Dul was the name of a river, and
that the wick was the station or village situate on its banks.f
Other writers connect the word with Delawyk. In the reign
of Henry III., Henry de la Wyk, called also Henry de Dile-
wisse, accounted for two knights' fees in Camberwell.
Delawyk is more like Dulwich in appearance than pro-
nunciation ; but Allport says ' the transition from Delawyk
to Dulwich appears to be so easy and natural as at once to
settle this etymology. 'J
The greater part of Dulwich was in ancient times an
immense wood intersected with devious paths. The present
road leading from Dulwich village to the Crystal Palace is
marked on Rocque's map (1745) as ending abruptly in a field
just before the entrance to the wood. What little remains of
the wood is practically closed to everyone, but its memory is
still preserved in the names of Dulwich Wood Park, Kings-
wood Road, and Crescent Wood Road. The Court in the
time of Charles I. paid frequent visits to Dulwich and to its
Woods, which afforded excellent sport. A royal warrant was
issued to one of the yeomen huntsmen-in-ordinary, Anthony
Holland, to command the inhabitants of Dulwich ' that they
* Blanch, ' Camerwell,' pp. 377, 378. t Ibid., p. 377.
% Allport, * Camerwell,' p. 46.
DULWICH PARK 85
forbeare to hunt, chace, molest, or hurt the king's stagges
with greyhounds, hounds, gunnes, or any other means what-
soever '; and he was also empowered ' to take from any person
or persons offending therein their dogges, hounds, gunnes,
crossbowes, or other engynes.'*
Another open space at Dulwich which has disappeared is
Dulwich Common. This formerly stretched along the College
Road, commencing close by the present principal entrance to
the park, and nearly touching Dulwich Wood. Dulwich
College School and grounds occupy most of its site. The
vestry minutes of December 27, 1804, contain the following
interesting record relating to the common :
' The committee reported that they had made diligent
search and inquiry, and from good information find that it
has been private property more than 300 years, and therefore
the committee are of opinion that the parish have no right
whatever to Dulwich Common. '"f
By an Act passed in the following year, the college authorities
were empowered to enclose the common which, it is said, con-
sisted of 130 acres. And so now that both Dulwich Wood
and Dulwich Common have gone, the importance of securing
Dulwich Park as a recreation-ground is all the more apparent.
The principal entrance to the park faces the chapel of
Dulwich College, which also serves as the parish church
of Dulwich. The old college, of which the chapel forms
part, cannot lay much claim to architectural beauty. It is
attributed by some to the celebrated Inigo Jones, but it is
very unlikely that he would turn out so poor a design, especially
when we find that the tower fell down in 1638. Moreover,
the original specification is still preserved giving particulars
of payments made to the real architect John Benson, of
Westminster. It forms three sides of a quadrangle : the
entrance and gates (upon which are the founder's arms and
motto, ' God's Gift ') closing in the fourth side. There is an
amusing story related by Aubrey, that Alleyn was frightened
into making this charitable and generous bequest by an
apparition of his satanic majesty among six theatrical demons
* Quoted in Blanch's ' Camerwell,' pp. 375, 376. f Ibid., p. 379.
86
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
in a certain piece he was playing. In his terror he hastily
made a vow, which he redeemed by founding the College of
God's Gift. An old writer* declares that ' no hospital is tyed
with better or stricter laws, that it may not sagg (swerve)
from the intention of the founder.' The 123 orders deal
with the most minute details, even specifying ' that none of
Court Lane, Dulwich, in Winter.
the fellowes, poore brethren, or sisters, shall keepe any Doggs,
poultry, or any other noisome cattel, within the said college,
besides a cat.' Some of these lengthy lists of ordinances are
rather interesting when read in the light of to-day.t For
instance, the dietary of the boys, superintended by a ' surveyor
* Fuller.
f These are printed in full in an appendix to Blanch's ' Camerwell.
from which these extracts are taken.
DULWICH PARK
87
of diett,' stipulates that they are to have * a cup of beere ' at
breakfast, ' beere without stint ' at dinner, with various added
luxuries on high-days and holidays. At the same time it
must not be supposed that the founder wished to encourage
intemperance. It is provided that the pensioners ' shall not
frequente any tavernes, or ale-houses, and if any of them be
drunk and convicted thereof . . . then he or she so offending
shall forfeyt for the ist, 2nd, or 3rd offence, three daies
pension for each of those times, for the fourth offence shall
x
Dulwich College.
be set in the stocks, in the outer court of the said college, by
the space of one houre and also loose three daies pension.'
By an Act of Parliament passed in 1857, the foundation was
completely reconstituted, and the revenue is now divided
into four parts, three of which are devoted to educational
and the fourth to charitable purposes purely. One of the
outcomes of this change was the foundation of the splendid
pile of buildings popularly known as Dulwich College, costing
about -£ 100,000, the greater portion of which was received as
88 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
compensation money from the railways. They form three
distinct blocks, the architecture being of the Northern Italian
style of the thirteenth century, after the designs of Mr. Charles
Barry. The first stone was laid in June, 1866, and the com-
pleted building was opened by the Prince of Wales in June,
1870. Judging from the high place taken by Dulwich College
as an educational establishment, the diversion of the funds
from the original intentions of the founder will cause but
little regret. The original college buildings have passed
through some troublous times. During the Civil Wars, the
fellows took up arms for the King, and as a consequence their
fellowships were sequestered, and only a schoolmaster and
usher were appointed. These two presented a petition to
the ruling powers for a double allowance for diet, on the plea
that they occupied the place of four fellows. Their petition
was refused at first, but afterwards granted, as being in
accordance with the terms of the trust. In 1647, a company
of soldiers under Captain Atkinson, forming part of General
Fairfax's army, which was then at Putney and Fulham, was
quartered in the college. During their stay here they com-
mitted terrible havoc. It is said that they destroyed the
organ, and took up the leaden coffins of the chapel to be
melted into bullets.* A neighbouring mansion Belair con-
tains some very curious specimens of the pollard oak, which
tradition says were so cut by these soldiers whilst quartered
in the neighbourhood. The college received igs. 8d., which
was very small recompense for the damage sustained.
Leaving now the old college, we pass round the park, and
are so shut in by the walls of trees as to quite forget the
outside world. Dulwich Park was not unknown to history
before, for its meadows, so rural and so quiet, seem to have
been especially suitable for the settlement of affaires d'honneur.
In ' Captain Blake,' published by Bentley, 1838, is the
following :
' " Now I prefer for the Surrey side, and there is not a
prettier shooting - ground in Britain than the Dulwich
* Allport's 4 Camerwell.'
DULWICH PARK 89
meadows. I think I could mark off as sweet a sod there as
ever a gentleman was stretched upon."
' " You are truly considerate, Colonel. But where shall our
rendezvous be ?"
' " Oh, the Greyhound. Capital house that ! Civil people,
excellent wine, and if a man's nicked, the greatest attention."
The Greyhound still stands, although about to be pulled
down, and must be at least 150 years old. It was famous
as the meeting-place of the Dulwich Club, which has enter-
tained at its table many distinguished men, including Dr.
Glennie, Campbell the poet, Dr. Babington, and others ; and
Dickens, Thackeray, Mark Lemon among literary celebrities
were frequent visitors to the house. The presence of Dickens
will account for the fact that Mr. Pickwick is described as
rinding a quiet retreat at Dulwich in his old age, where he
had ' a large garden situated in one of the most pleasant
spots near London.' We find him ' visiting frequently the
Dulwich picture-gallery, and enjoying walks about the pleasant
neighbourhood.'
The two other entrances to the park are from Lordship
Lane and Court Lane. The former takes its name from the
lordship of Friern Manor, of which it is the boundary ; Court
Lane is so called after Dulwich Court, now turned into the
Court Farm. Another house in this lane was formerly occu-
pied by a school, and was afterwards taken as a summer
residence by the Turkish Ambassador. Mr. Batt's school was
much patronized by the nobility, several of whom received
their education here. Dulwich then in times past has, as
we shall afterwards show, taken no small place in educating
the youth of England, and the present Dulwich College
School will be more than able to sustain the past reputation.
Dulwich Court is mentioned in many ancient documents.
At the commencement of the seventeenth century it was in
the possession of the Calton family. ' Dulwich Corte Hall
Place' and three other messuages in Dulwich were mort-
gaged by Sir Francis Calton to Robert Lee, Lord Mayor of
London on December 17, 1602, for £660. Alleyn paid off
90 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
the mortgage in 1605, and acquired full possession of the
property shortly afterwards. The house is shown on a plan
as late as 1808, but whether it has been merged in Court
Farm, or whether, as its position on the map would seem to
indicate, it was a house nearer to Dulwich village, does not
seem to be known. In this latter case the old house must
have been demolished.*
It is a much-disputed point as to whether Alleyn ever lived
at Dulwich Court. Manning and Bray assert that he resided
1 either at Hall Place or what is now Dulwich Court.' Tra-
dition has always averred that the manor-house was Alleyn's
residence, but there is a lease still extant from Francis Calton
to John Bone, of Camberwell, of Hall Place at a rent of £20
for twenty-one years, dated May 12, 1597, and Alleyn let the
same house to William Lawton.f
At the corner of the triangle formed by the eastern boundary
of the park, Lordship Lane and Dulwich Common Road, is
situated Bew's Corner, which has played an important part
in the history of Dulwich. On this site was formerly a
tavern of some note, called ' The Green Man,' the green man
in question probably being Robin Hood, who is always repre-
sented with his merry men dressed in suits of Lincoln green.
It is figured on Rocque's map of 1745, and on May 19, 1752,
we find that it was resolved ' that the vestry (Camberwell)
be adjourned to Mr. Cox's, at the Green Man at Dulwich, in
order to make out the rate-books.' Perhaps it is possible
under these conditions to make the subject of rates an inter-
esting one. A few years prior to this the Green Man had
become sufficiently noted to find a place in a popular ballad
in conjunction with Vauxhall and other well-known places of
entertainment :
' That Vauxhall and Ruckhalt, and Ranelagh too,
And Hoxton and Sadlers, both old and new,
My Lord Cobham's Head, and the Dulwich Green Man,
May make as much pleasure as ever they can.' J
* A. M. Galer, ' Norwood and Dulwich : Past and Present,' 1890, p. 56.
f Ibid., p. 58. \ ' Musick in Good Time : a new Ballad,5 1745.
DULWICH PARK 91
One very amusing story is told in connection with this
tavern in the ' Percy Anecdotes ' which is quite worth re-
peating. A well-known literary man had received an invita-
tion from a friend to dine with him on the following Sunday,
the house being described as opposite the Green Man at
Dulwich. Our literary friend trusted to his memory for the
address, which unfortunately failed him when Sunday came
round. At last a happy thought struck him. ' I have it,'
he exclaimed excitedly, ' it's opposite the Dull-man at Green-
wich !' and so to Greenwich he went in post haste. All effort
to find the Dull-man proved fruitless, and at last he was
asked if he didn't mean the Green Man at Dulwich, when
the truth became apparent to him that he had lost his way.
He lost his dinner too, and we much regret to say his
temper also.*
Within the grounds of the Green Man was situate one of
the famous Dulwich wells, of which the following account is
given :
' In the autumn of 1739 Mr. Cox, master of the Green
Man, about a mile south of the village of Dulwich, having
occasion to sink a well for his family, dug down 60 feet without
finding water. Discouraged at this, he covered it up, and so
left it. In the following spring, however, he opened it again,
when, the Botanical Professor in the University of Cam-
bridge being present, it was found to contain about 25 feet
of water of a sulphureous taste and smell. Upon analysis it
was found to be beneficial medicinally, the waters being
chalybeate. 'f
Dulwich waters, however, were sold in the streets of Lon-
don some fifty years before this discovery. The Guildhall
Library contains a quaint little volume giving an account of
an outrage committed at ' Dulledg wells ' in 1678, of which
the title - page runs as follows : ' Strange and lamentable
news from Dulledg wells ; or the cruel and barbarous father.
A true relation. How a person -which used to cry Dulledg
* Quoted in Blanch's ' Camerwell,' p. 367.
f Manning and Bray's ' Surrey.'
92 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
water about the streets of London, killed his own son on
Tuesday, the second of this instant July, in a most inhumane
manner, for which he was the next day committed and now
remains a prisoner, in order to a Tryal. London : printed
for D. M., 1678.'
The proximity of the wells brought considerable custom
to the ' Green Man,' and it flourished to such an extent that
a current publication informs us that the proprietor ' has
lately built a handsome room on one end of his bowling-
green for breakfasts, dancing, and entertainment — a part of
the fashionable luxury of the present age, which every village
for ten miles round London has something of.'* But the
popularity of the waters waned, and the tavern for this cause
became less flourishing till we find it at length disappear
altogether, and its site occupied by another famous institu-
tion, viz., Dr. Glennie's Academy. Byron was at one time
a pupil at this school. Dr. Glennie, writing to Tom Moore,
speaks thus of his illustrious pupil : ' He is anxious to excel
in all athletic exercises, notwithstanding his lameness — an
ambition which I have found to prevail in general in young
persons labouring under similar defects of nature.' It is
said that Byron and his school-fellows went in for a system
of mimic brigandage, and the boyish demands to ' Stand
and deliver ' caused great alarm to the timid passers-by.
Although this was mere mischief on the part of the boys,
highway robbery was carried on here by genuine footpads in
real earnest, so that Sydenham Hill at the beginning of this
century had a reputation scarcely less inferior to that of
Hounslow Heath. The murder of an old recluse, who had
lived for thirty years in a secluded cave in Dulwich Wood,
roused Byron and his companions to a pitch of excitement,
and they now were excessively anxious to suppress all the
highwaymen and footpads of the district, so much so that
in their zeal they nearly murdered an unfortunate apprentice
who was suspected of belonging to that class. It is to be
feared that Byron's two years of school-life here were wasted.
* Quoted in Blanch's ' Camerwell,' p. 386.
DULWICH PARK 93
He had the misfortune of being spoilt by his mother, Lady
Byron, who frequently kept him away from school to go into
society, and as a consequence his education was bound to be
neglected. Any remonstrance with his mother on the part
of his tutor ended in her breaking into a fit of temper, and
some of these outbursts reached the ears of the schoolboys,
one of whom remarked to Byron : ' Your mother is a fool,' to
which he answered characteristically : ' I know it, but you
shan't say so.' Though she was mainly responsible for it,
his mother was dissatisfied with the progress made by the
budding poet at Dr. Glennie's, and he was sent to Harrow.
Master and pupil do not appear to have met again in after-
life, though Dr. Glennie watched his subsequent career with
peculiar interest, and he was often pleasantly chaffed in
society because he had not made a better man of him.
Young Byron would, of course, have known every spot in
Dulwich, and it is interesting to think that he was familiar
with the meadows that now form Dulwich Park. We must
only mention the names of some other pupils of the school
who became famous in after-life : General le Marchant, Sir
Donald M'Leod, and Captain Barclay, the celebrated pedes-
trian, are among the chief.*
Dr. Glennie's Academy in turn disappeared, and a man
employed at the college, of the name of Bew, opened a small
public-house here, making use of some of the out-buildings
of the school for the purpose, and turning the grounds into a
tea-garden. It is from this proprietor that we obtain the
name of Bew's Corner. This rural ale-house has gone too,
and on its site is the Grove Tavern, the cricket-ground of
which runs up to the park.
We must not forget to mention that Lord Chancellor
Thurlow is said to have once lived at this spot. Priscilla
Wakefield, in her ' Perambulations ' (1809), writing about
Dulwich, says : ' The house which has the sign of the
Green Man was for some time the residence of Lord
Thurlow. A fine avenue through the wood faces this
* Blanch, ' Camervvell,' pp. 389, 390.
94 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
house, and leads to a charming prospect.' It appears that
Lord Thurlow had commissioned Henry Holland, the archi-
tect of Carlton House and of old Drury Lane Theatre, to
build him a mansion called Knight's Hill. As the cost
exceeded the stipulated price, Lord Thurlow took a dislike
to the mansion and never resided in it. Lord Chancellor
Eldon in telling the story says : ' He was first cheated by
his architect, and then he cheated himself; for the house
cost more than he expected, so he never would go into it.
Very foolish, but so it was.' He contented himself with a
smaller house called Knight's Hill Farm.*
* Thorne, ' Environs of London,' vol. ii., p. 454
CHAPTER V.
CLAP HAM COMMON.
THIS deservedly popular open space is 220 acres in
extent, and is one of the most frequented of all the
commons. Its use is by no means confined to the
inhabitants of the immediate vicinity, for owing to
the many convenient methods of access visitors from all
parts of South London flock to it, and on Saturday after-
noons especially it is teeming with London toilers. Every
variety of sport is allowed ; cricket, football, and lawn-tennis
are, of course, the chief of these, but they by no means
exhaust the list. The ponds afford special facilities for
model yachting and fishing, whilst at certain hours in the
evening bathing is allowed. It is quite a sight to watch the
thousands of youngsters around the Mount pond on a summer
evening waiting for the signal which tells them they are free
to cool themselves in the water. In a few moments their
scanty clothing is off, and the pond is a mass of nude wrig-
gling forms, splashing and paddling to their hearts' content.
There is a horse-ride and a bandstand to make the attrac-
tions complete. But apart from these, the common itself is
full of natural beauties. Although fairly level, it can boast
of great variety. Its trees are well matured, and embrace
most of the different kinds of English growth. Parts of it
are still covered with furze, and several clumps of tall elms
are worthy of notice.
It is something more than a common, and it has been
96 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
suggested more than once that it should be transformed into
a park. If this were ever carried out, a fitting name would
be Baldwin Park, as it was mainly due to the exertions of
the late Christopher Baldwin that it was forwarded to its
present state. Through his influence as a magistrate, in
1722 it was planted, drained, and the roads were improved,
the expenses being defrayed by private munificence. As a
consequence, the value of property in the neighbourhood
increased so much that Mr. Baldwin disposed of some of his
land at a greatly advanced price, 14 acres being sold for
£5,000, i.e., at the rate of £357 an acre, since which land
has been gradually improving in value. It seemed, however,
in later years a difficult matter to raise the necessary funds
to maintain the common properly. In the great religious
days of Clapham these fell off so much that in 1835-36 leases
of the manorial rights were applied for and granted for twelve
years at an annual rent of £65. During the next two years
to December 1838, things mended, and the liberal donations
of £896 were given, and in 1839-40 further sums, to the
extent of £248 6s. were given, and in 1844 £138 more was
obtained. Afterwards about £150 a year was collected, by
which the common was kept in some order till the time of
its final transfer to the late Metropolitan Board of Works
in 1877. Extensive improvements have been carried out
under their supervision, including a regular system of subsoil
drainage, the filling up of the old ditches, and the planting of
trees. The ponds have been cleaned out, and post-and-rail
fencing erected. Altogether the common of this century is a
great improvement upon Clapham Common of the last. It
was then little better than a swamp, and the roads over it
were almost impassable.
Much doubt exists as to the derivation of the name of
Clapham. In Doomsday Book it is called Clopeham, and in
one of the oldest documents in which the name occurs it is
spelt Clappenham. These forms of the word make it appear
rather doubtful that it can be derived from the name of a
Danish lord Osgod Clappa, which is the explanation usually
CLAPHAM COMMON 97
put forward. It was at the marriage feast of this lord's
daughter that King Hardicanute died.*
Clapham Common is in two manors. The western half
formed part of the waste lands of the manor of Battersea and
Wandsworth, and was at one time called Battersea East
Common. The eastern portion is in the parish and manor
of Clapham. This manor in Saxon times was valued at £ 10,
and was held of the Confessor by Turbanus. Geffrey de
Mandeville owned it at the time of the Doomsday survey,
which mentions, however, a report that he held it unjustly
to the prejudice of one Asgar. For all this, he and his heirs
continued in possession of it for some time and even after its
alienation it was still held of the honour of Mandeville. In
the time of Stephen, it was the property of Faramas de
Bolonia, whose daughter and heiress married Ingram de
Fiennes, who was slain in the Holy Land in 1190. A charter
of King Richard's is extant which restored to the widow all
the privileges of the manor as enjoyed by her husband and
father. William de Fiennes died seised of this manor,,
30 Edward I. It appears to have been granted soon after-
wards to Thomas Romayne, though the Fiennes family
reserved to themselves the right as mesne lords. Juliana,
the widow of Thomas Romayne, died in the reign of
Edward II., and left two daughters, between whom her pro-
perty was divided. Clapham manor fell to the share of
Margaret, who married William de Weston, and was the
property of her descendants in the reign of Henry VI. The
next owner we find is Richard Gower, who was lord of the
manor in the reign of Edward IV., and he sold it to Sir
George Ireland, Alderman of London. It afterwards belonged
to Sir Thomas Cockayne, who alienated it to Philip Okeover,
and Richard Crompton, who probably purchased it in trust
for Bartholomew Clerk, who died seised of it in the reign of
Elizabeth. Henry Atkins, physician to James I., bought
the manor for the sum of £6,000, which money is said by a
family tradition to have been the produce of presents bestowed
* Thorne, 'Environs of London,' 1876, part i., p. no.
7
98 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
on him by the King after his return from Scotland, whither
he had been sent to attend Charles I., then an infant, who
lay dangerously ill of a fever. The manor remained in this
illustrious family for many years, when on the death of Lady
Rivers, sister of Sir Richard Atkins, the last Baronet of this
family, the property was transferred to the Bowyer family,
the present owners.*
The manorial rights over the whole of the common were
purchased under a scheme confirmed by the Metropolitan
Commons Supplemental Act, 1877, for the sum of £18,000 —
£10,000 for the part in the Battersea and Wandsworth
manor, and £8,000 for that in Clapham.
The common was the cause of a very lengthy lawsuit
between the two parishes of Clapham and Battersea. The
inhabitants of Clapham resented the claim of their rivals to
half the common which was said to be in the parish of
Battersea. From words they came to deeds, and in 1716
the latter party enclosed what they called their portion of
the common with a ditch and bank, in order to keep out the
cattle of the Clapham folk. Upon this their antagonists
filled up the ditch and levelled the bank, for which an action
of trespass was brought against them by Lord Viscount
St. John, then Lord of the Manor of Battersea. The cause
was heard at the Lent Assizes for the county of Surrey,
held at Kingston in 1718, when, after a long trial, Lord
St. John was non-suited because his principal witnesses who
were inhabitants of Battersea were disqualified from giving
evidence. f
When we compare the present state of Clapham Common
with that of its neighbour Wandsworth, it will be seen how
fortunate the former has been as regards the matter of
encroachments and enclosures. This can be accounted for
partly by the fact of the dual control exercised by the
inhabitants of the two manors, and partly because the
common has been surrounded for nearly a century by good
* Lysons, 'Environs of London,' 1810, vol. i., pp. 117, 118.
f Ibid., p. 1 1 6.
CLAPHAM COMMON 99
houses, the residences of wealthy City bankers and merchants.
Many of these roomy old mansions have disappeared, and
their grounds have been converted into profitable building
estates. But for all this, there have been encroachments,
as a glance at the map will show. It is difficult now to
distinguish between the illegal pilferings from the common-
land, and the enclosures made in proper form with the
consent of the lord and copyholders of the manor.
One of the earliest of these was made by Mr. Henton
Brown, of the firm of Brown and Tritton, bankers of
Lombard Street. He fenced round the Mount Pond, upon
which he placed a pleasure-boat, and in 1748 the parish gave
him leave to substitute a close pale fence for the open one,
and so convert this water into a private lake. The considera-
tion for this concession was a payment of 55. to the poor of
the parish, which does not say much for the value placed
upon the common then. Fortunately a subsequent vestry
refused to ratify this agreement, and so saved the common
from a permanent disfigurement. Mr. Brown's example
was soon followed by a Mr. Fawkes, who had dug a
trench 166 feet long upon the common. This particularly
exasperated the inhabitants, and led to a committee being
formed in 1768 to ' maintain the just rights and privileges
of the parishioners entitled to commonage within the Manor
of Clapham.' They seem to have been rather lax in their
jurisdiction, for it was found necessary in 1790 to call another
meeting to consider the various enclosures, encroachments
and nuisances that had been made on the common and
waste lands of the parish ; and it was ordered that in future
the surveyors of the highway should notify the church-
wardens of any attempted encroachment on the common.
Still the enclosures went on — sometimes those benefited
were called upon to pay a nominal sum of is. per year to
the parish, and in other cases this was dispensed with or
the encroachments were not noticed. Consequently more
stringent measures had to be taken, and in 1796 it was
resolved that in future no part of the common vas to be
7—2
100
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
enclosed without a petition being presented to the vestry,
and a plan produced, specifying exactly the dimensions.
This had to be signed by the Lord of the Manor, or his
agent, and after these formalities had been gone through,
The Rookery, Clapham Common.
the petition was read, and referred to a subsequent vestry.
At the same time a standing committee was appointed to
raise subscriptions for the improvement and maintenance of
the common, and also to appropriate the moneys received
CLAPHAM COMMON 101
from the granting of the common and waste lands. But in
spite of all these regulations, the enclosures went on, and in
the following year no less than four were made of the land
near the windmill. The serious consequences of these
encroachments may be seen in the terrace of twelve staring
red-brick houses which surround the site of the windmill
pond. These houses have been built upon the grounds of
what was formerly one residence — Windmill Place. Now
that the common is subject to strict supervision, it is safe
from any future curtailing.
We have before referred to the beauty and variety of the
trees on Clapham Common. In addition to their natural
beauty there are two which have a claim to be considered
historical. On the south side an old poplar has been railed
in which goes by the name of Spurgeon's Tree. The story
connected with it is that on Sunday morning, July 3, 1859,
it was struck by lightning during a violent storm. A man
named Hutton, aged twenty-six, butler to W. Herbert, Esq.,
of Cavendish House, was very imprudently taking shelter
underneath it, and was killed. He left a widow and four
children, and on the following Sunday the Rev. C. H. Spur-
geon, who lived for many years in the beautiful Nightingale
Lane which connects Clapham and Wandsworth Commons,
preached a sermon on their behalf from the very appropriate
text, ' Be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not
the Son of man cometh ' (Matt. xxiv. 44).
The other tree, which stands in the pathway near the
church, is variously called Captain Cook's or the Seat Tree.
The latter name is correct enough, because a seat had been
fixed round the base of the trunk, but the name of Captain
Cook is connected with it simply by tradition. It is prob-
able that this and the other fine trees standing by the high-
road on the north side of the church were planted by the
eldest son of the great navigator, Captain James Cook, R.N.
The tradition that links the name of Captain Cook with this
tree, asserts that he lived at Clarence House, on the common,
now the Clapham Middle School for Girls, and that he called
102 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
the curious balcony at the back of the house his quarter-
deck. The tree was blown down in a violent gale in Feb-
ruary, 1893. As Captain James Cook died about the com-
mencement of this century, the tree must be nearly 100
years old. The stump has been covered with a zinc capping
to prevent its decay.
Before a special site was set apart for public meetings, this
tree was a rendezvous for those who wished to air their social,
political or religious opinions. In the years 1877 and 1878
these meetings first began to assume importance, not so
much on account of the particular views set forth, as because
of the organized opposition the speakers met with on the
part of medical students and other rowdy members of society.
The consequence of this was that an attempt was made to
prohibit public meetings altogether, a step which was ener-
getically resisted by Mr. John Burns, M.P., then a young
man about twenty. While attempting to address a meeting
under this tree, he was forcibly apprehended by the police,
detained in the local station, but acquitted on his appearance
before the magistrate. It was mainly owing to the insistence
upon the right to speak on the common, and the arrest of
Mr. Burns in connection therewith, that the present spot for
public meetings was set apart. John Burns is never tired of
telling how that on the occasion of his arrest, he first met his
future wife, and this will account for his great interest in the
common where he learned the manly sports of swimming,
skating, cricket and football of which he is no mean ex-
ponent.
From the trees we may turn to another important feature
of the common — the ponds. Close by the church is the
Cock Pond, taking its name from the adjoining inn. This
was excavated in order to find material for raising the ground
on which the church now stands.
The Mount Pond, which is a conspicuous object all over
the common, was originally a gravel-pit, excavated to furnish
gravel for the main road from London to Tooting. This is
the pond which Mr. Henton Brown nearly succeeded in con-
CLAPHAM COMMON 103
verting into private poverty. He spent a-great deal of money
in planting the mound, which he connected with the bank by
a bridge, but after his failure the works were allowed to fall
into decay. The pond affords good sport for the disciples of
Izaak Walton, and is also available for bathing in the summer
and skating in winter.
The Long Pond, which runs parallel to the above-men-
tioned highway, is chiefly devoted to model yacht sailing,
and is generally covered with a large number of miniature
sailing-boats. This was formerly called the Boat-house Pond,
because the Lord of the Manor enclosed it with a quick
The Mount Pond, Clapham Common.
hedge, planted a shrubbery round it, and built a summer-
house and boat-house on its banks.*
Behind the red-brick houses near the Windmill Inn was
the Windmill Pond, now filled in, upon the site of which the
lavatories and tool-shed have been built. This was com-
pletely hidden by trees, and was a very picturesque feature
of this part of the common. It afforded much amusement to
the youngsters wrho came here to fish for sticklebacks, and it
is much to be regretted that it was found necessary to fill
it up.
* J. W. Grover, « Old Clapham,' p. 17.
j04 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Close by is another pond of some charm, called the Eagle
House Pond from the fine mansion which it faced. This has
a small island in the centre, and is also used for fishing.
Eagle House has been pulled down and its grounds have
been turned into a building estate. These three ponds and
others which have been filled up were probably excavated to
provide gravel for the formation of the highway which runs
close to them.
An old description of the village of Clapham* mentions
that it was supplied with water from a fine well situated on
the north side of the common. The original reservoir was
of ancient construction, and was repaired by the parish in
1717. About 1789 a new well was opened on the common,
which was paid for out of the voluntary subscriptions of the
inhabitants. This new well continued to satisfy the wants
of Clapham till 1825, when the increase of population made
further supplies necessary. In addition to this, the well
became a nuisance, because of the numbers of men who came
here with their carts waiting for their turn, and so blocked
the traffic. Subsequently another well was formed some
100 yards further up, which produced a daily supply of 150
butts. This in its turn has had to give way to more modern
means of supply, and the old well has been covered in.
One of the few buildings actually on the common is the
parish church dedicated to the Holy Trinity. It is com-
paratively new for such an ancient place as Clapham, being
little over 100 years old. Before its erection the parish
church was St. Paul's, close by the Wandsworth Road.
About 1768 this fell into a bad state of repair, and a
Mr. Couse, an architect, was employed to shore it up 'to
quiet the minds of the inhabitants.' This must evidently
have been carried out satisfactorily, for in a few years' time
he was commissioned to design the new parish church, and
his instructions seem to have been to build a ' new strong
church.' Both of these conditions were fulfilled, but that is
* ' Clapham, with its Common and Environs,' published by D. Batten,
1859.
CLAPHAM COMMON 105
all that can be said, for the most ardent of his admirers could
scarcely call his work beautiful. In justification of the archi-
tect it must be said that at this time church architecture had
reached its lowest depth. But what the church lacks in
beauty is made up in comfort and solidity. Much of its
plainness is hidden by the trees which surround it, and
altogether it adds picturesqueness to this part of the common.
Inside it is as plain as outside, the only redeeming feature
being the massive carved pillars which are quite in keeping
with the air of solid strength which is the chief characteristic
of the church. The site was staked out on the common in
1774, railed in, and the building of the church commenced
in accordance with an Act of Parliament obtained for the
purpose. The church accommodates about 1,400 persons,
and cost £11,000. Its old associations endeared it to
Macaulay who writes from Clapham, February 1849 : ' To
church this morning. I love the church for the sake of old
times; I love even that absurd painted window, with the
dove, the lamb, the urn, the two cornucopias, and the pro-
fusion of sun-flowers, passion-flowers and peonies.' This
work of art no longer adorns the church.
There are singularly few memorials or tombs inside ; most
of the great Claphamites were buried in the ancient church
on the site of St. Paul's, and not a few have their las*,
resting-place in Westminster Abbey. There is a monument
to John Thornton by Sir Richard Westmacott ; a mural
tablet with medallion portrait to John Jebb, Bishop of
Limerick, who died in 1833 (whose body, however, is
interred in the family vault of the Thorntons) ; and another
tablet to Dr. John Gillies (d. 1836), the author of a
forgotten ' History of Greece ' and translator of Aristotle's
Ethics.*
Close by the church is the fire-brigade station. The first
year in which there is any record of a parish fire-engine is
1750, when the sum of 205. per annum was allowed for the
care of it, ' on condition that it be brought out and worked
* Thorne, ' Environs of London,' vol. i., p. 112.
io6 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
at least four times in the year.'* Opposite the fire-brigade
station is the Cock Inn, one of the oldest houses in Clapham.
As an institution it dates back to the sixteenth century, but
the business was conducted not in the present building, which
was formerly a private house, but in the two wooden cottages
at the rear. Before the Metropolis had swollen to its present
gigantic proportions, when Clapham was an isolated village,
a market was held here, but it is needless to say no such
thing takes place now. A curious discovery of an officer's
dress-sword was made in the roof some years ago. It was
inscribed with ' G. R.,' and was supposed from its appear-
ance to have been of German origin, and it is conjectured
with some probability that it belonged to one of the
Hanoverian officers of the Duke of Cumberland's army,
which was encamped on Clapham Common in 1745, the
year of the Pretender's insurrection.!
The common has recently been embellished by the gift
of a handsome drinking-fountain, presented by the United
Kingdom Temperance and General Provident Institution in
1895. It consists of a granite pedestal surmounted by a
group in bronze representing a Sister of Mercy giving water
to a wounded soldier. It formerly stood in front of the
offices of the institution in Adelaide Place, London Bridge,
but as it was not used to the fullest extent, it was presented
to the London County Council for placing in one of their
parks and open spaces, the site ultimately selected being at
Clapham Common, in the pathway close to Captain Cook's
tree.
Some interesting items relating to the common can be
gleaned from the vestry minutes of Clapham.j In 1693,
bull-baiting was forbidden throughout the parish. Although
no details can be gathered respecting the extent to which
this barbarous sport was carried on, it is probable that the
arena would be on the common, and it must evidently have
flourished here before the issue of this vestry mandate.
* Parochial minutes. t J. W. Grover, * Old Clapham,' pp. 40, 41.
J Quoted in ' Clapham : its Common and Environs/ Batten.
CLAPHAM COMMON 107
The gorse and thick undergrowth of the common furnished
a refuge for hedgehogs and polecats, against which a raid
was ordered by the vestry, and los. was paid in 1722 for
killing nine hedgehogs and seven polecats, and further sums
in the following year for similar purposes. Hedgehogs
appear in the minutes again in 1728, when the sum of
us. 4d. was paid for exterminating thirty-four of them. In
1781, the fair which had been held for some years at
Clapham was abolished as being a great nuisance to the
inhabitants. In 1816 the vestry directed that swine should
not be allowed loose on the common, and gave their keeper
instructions to impound any stray porkers he might find.
The common and the immediate vicinity were the resort
of what was known as the ' Clapham Sect,' a name given to
the Evangelical party in the Church of England by the
Rev. Sydney Smith in the latter part of the eighteenth
century. This earnest body of men laboured together for
what they considered to be the interests of pure religion,
the reformation of manners, and above all the abolition of
slavery. Foremost among the sect were William Wilber-
force, Zachary Macaulay (father of the historian) and the
Rev. W. Romaine. William Wilberforce lived at Broom-
field (now called Broomwood) on the south-west side of the
common, and there his son, the celebrated Bishop Wilber-
force, was born in 1805. Adjacent to his property was that
of Henry Thornton, another famous name in connection with
this movement. The meetings were held for the most part
in the oval saloon which William Pitt, ' dismissing for a
moment his budgets and his subsidies, planned to be added
to Henry Thornton's newly purchased residence. It arose
at his bidding, and yet remains, perhaps a solitary monu-
ment of the architectural skill of that imperial mind. Lofty
and symmetrical, it was curiously wainscoted with books
on every side, except where it opened on a far extended
lawn, reposing beneath the giant arms of aged elms and
massive tulip-trees.'* It was in this saloon that there met,
* Sir James Stephen, ' Essays in Ecclesiastical Biography.'
io8 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
after their long years of effort had been crowned with
success, Wilberforce, Clarkson, Granville Sharp, Zachary
Macaulay and the other members of the society ' in joy and
thanksgiving and mutual gratulation ' over the abolition of
the African slave-trade.* We find notices of the visits of
royalty to this house in the years 1807, 1808 and 1809, when
H.R.H. the Duchess of Brunswick, Queen Charlotte, and
the Princesses Augusta and Elizabeth visited the house and
grounds of Mr. Robert Thornton for public breakfasts.
Another far-reaching society whose influence is felt all
over the globe also emanated from Clapham. This is the
British and Foreign Bible Society who have been instru-
mental in translating the Bible into nearly 250 languages.
The man to whom may be ascribed -the credit of this vast
undertaking was its first and greatest President — Lord Teign-
mouth. After a safe career in India, culminating in his being
appointed Governor-General, he returned to England and
took up his residence at Clapham Common, where the
founders and the earliest secretaries of the society had their
meeting-place. What a change has fallen upon his house,
for it is now a Roman Catholic nunnery !
Although many of the historical houses skirting the
common have been pulled down to make way for the all-
devouring march of bricks and mortar, there are yet some
which stand out as memorials of a vanished past. Surely
no house on the common deserves more respect than Caven-
dish House, at the corner of Cavendish Road, the residence
of that eccentric philosopher, the Hon. Henry Cavendish,
who has been justly styled the ' Newton of Chemistry.'
The house has undergone considerable alterations, and has
been refronted, but it still remains as the sole memorial to
this man of talent. In his time very little of the house was
devoted to domestic purposes. His whole heart was in his
science, and the comforts of life had to give way to that.
The upper rooms formed an astronomical observatory, and
on the lawn was a large wooden stage which gave access to
* Thome, 'Environs of London,' vol. i., pp. in, 112.
CLAPHAM COMMON
109
the top of a lofty tree, from which the philosopher could the
better conduct his researches. The present drawing-room
of the house was formerly his laboratory, and near it stood
a forge. The scientific discovery which principally makes
The Eagle Pond, Clapham Common.
the name of Cavendish famous is that of finding out the
earth's density. ' The man who weighed the earth ' found
out that it is five and a half times heavier than water of the
same bulk. He was most eccentric in all his ways. He
would never see or allow himself to be seen by a female
i io OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
servant, and Lord Brougham relates that he used to order
his dinner daily by a note, which he left at a certain hour on
the hall-table, whence the housekeeper was to take it.* He
had a magnificent library which was placed at such a distance
from the house that those who came to consult it might not
disturb him.
Whilst travelling in England in 1790 with George Foster,
Humboldt obtained permission to make use of this library,
on condition, however, that he was on no account to presume
so far as to speak to, or even greet the proud and aristocratic
owner, should he happen to encounter him. Humboldt
states this in a letter to Bunsen, adding sarcastically :
' Cavendish little suspected at that time that it was I who
in 1810 was to be his successor at the Academy of Sciences.'!
Cavendish was distinguished like many other philosophers
by his entire disregard of money, although he had enough of
that necessary article. On one occasion the bankers with
whom he kept his account, finding his balance had accumu-
lated to over £80,000, commissioned one of the partners to
wait upon him to ask what should be done with it. On
reaching the house, after considerable difficulty and delay,
he succeeded in obtaining an audience with the abstracted
chemist, who instead of being pleased with the attention,
exclaimed, on hearing of the amount of his balance :
' Oh, if it is any trouble to you, I will take it out of your
hands. Do not come to plague me about money.'
' It is not,' replied the banker, ' any trouble to us, but we
thought you might like some of it turned to account and
invested.'
' Well, what do you want to do ?'
' Perhaps you would like to have £40,000 invested ?'
' Yes ; do so, if you like ; but do not come here to trouble
me any more, or I will remove my balance.'!
He very seldom invited friends to dinner, and when he
* Thome, 'Environs of London,' vol. i., p. in.
f Bruhn, ' Life of Humboldt,' English translation, 1873, vol. ii., p. 68.
I Quoted in ' Old Clapham,' J. W. Grover, p. 49.
CLAPHAM COMMON in
did they had to put up with the simplest fare. Once his
housekeeper ventured to remind him that, as five friends
were coming to dinner, one leg of mutton would not be
enough. ' Well then, have two,' said the philosopher.
When he died in 1810 he left a fortune of £1,300,000.
To turn now to the other side of the common we shall
find the Gauden estate upon part of which was built a house
once the property of the ubiquitous Pepys. It had a history
before he came there. It is probable that a portion of the
common was included in this estate of Sir Dennis Gauden,
who flourished in the seventeenth century. Dr. Gauden,
the divine, was the reputed author of the * ELKGDV pacri\i/cr}, or
the Portraiture of his Most Sacred Majesty in his Solitude
and Sufferings.' The treatise, which professes to contain
meditations and prayers, composed by Charles I. in his
captivity, was published in 1649, a few days after the execu-
tion of that monarch, and produced an extraordinary sympathy
in his behalf. So eagerly was it read that it passed through
fifty editions in a single year. Dr. Gauden, who was first of
all Bishop of Exeter, and then of Worcester, died of a disease
which it is said was caused or aggravated by his not receiving
the appointment of Bishop of Winchester. In view of this
promised promotion he had had this large house built in his
brother's name, which together with the grounds occupied
some 430 acres. The Terrace and Victoria Road now mark
the site of his mansion, which was pulled down in 1762.*
The house and grounds subsequently were purchased by
William Hewer, one of the Commissioners of the Navy to
James II., and treasurer for the garrison of Tangier, Pepys,
who had been Hewer's master at the Admiralty, seems to
have resided here with him, and he frequently mentions in
his letters absence from town in order to take the air of
Clapham. Pepys collected a magnificent library which he
afterwards gave to Magdalen College, Cambridge. We may
gather a good description of the house from the diary of
John Evelyn. He says :
* Thome, ' Environs of London,' vol. i., p. in.
ii2 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
I I went to Mr. Hewer's at Clapham, where he has an
excellent, usefull and capacious house on the Common built
by Sir Dennis Gauden, and by him sold to Mr. Hewer, who
got a very considerable estate in the navy, in which, from
being Mr. Pepys's clerk, he came to be one of the principal
officers, but was put out of all employment on the Revolu-
tion, as were all the best officers, on suspicion of being no
friends to the change, such were put in their places as were
most shamefully ignorant and unfit. Mr. Hewer lives very
handsomely and friendly to everybody.'*
Some eight years later his friend Pepys was living here,
and Evelyn writes :
I 1 went to visite Mr. Pepys at Clapham, where he has a
very noble and wonderfully well-furnished house, especially
with India and Chinese curiosities. The offices and gardens
well accommodated for pleasure and retirement. 'f
It was in 1703 that Pepys died, when Evelyn summed
him up as * a very worthy, industrious, and curious person ;
none in England exceeding him in knowledge of the navy,
in which he passed thro' all the most considerable offices,
Clerk of the Acts and Secretary to the Admiralty, all which
he performed with great integrity. When King James 2nd
went out of England, he laid down his office and would
serve no more ; but withdrawing himselfe from all public
affaires, he liv'd at Clapham with his partner, Mr. Hewer,
formerly his clerk, in a very noble house and sweete place,
where he enjoy'd the fruite of his labour in greate pros-
perity, 't
Turning from the entries of Evelyn to those of his brother
diarist, we find that Pepys first visited his future home on
July 25, 1663, on the day when he was to have gone to
Banstead Downs * to see a famous race,' which was, how-
ever, postponed because the House of Lords was sitting.
He continues :
' After some debate, Creed and I resolved to go to
* * Diary,' June 25, 1692. f Ibid., September 23, 1700.
% Ibid.) May 26, 1703.
CLAP HAM COMMON
Clapham, to Mr. Gauden's. When I came there, the first
thing was to show me his house, which is almost built. I
find it very regular and finely contrived, and the gardens
and offices about it as convenient and as full of good variety
as ever I saw in my life. It is true he hath been censured
The Cricket Fields, Clapham Common.
for laying out so much money ; but he tells me that he built
it for his brother, who is since dead (the Bishop), who when
he should come to be Bishop of Winchester, which he was
promised (to which bishopric at present there is no house),
he did intend to dwell here.'
8
114 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
At the time when this was written Pepys little thought
that this house was afterwards to be his home.
Adjoining Gauden House, on the site of what is now
Cedars Road, stood another fine mansion, The Cedars,
pulled down in 1864. This was said to have been designed
either by Sir Christopher Wren or Inigo Jones, and was
very beautifully decorated.
Elms House, at the corner of the Chase, was once the
home of the Barclay family, famous for their wealth and
their power in using it well. This became afterwards the
home of Sir Charles Barry, the famous architect of the
Houses of Parliament, who spent the last ten years of his
life and died here.
Close by is a row of old houses, built, it is said, by Sir
C. Wren, known as Church Buildings. The date 1720 on
the arch of one of them tells us when the last house was
finished. The house clustering round this arch, and the
next on the west side, were formerly one, and here resided
at the close of the last century Granville Sharp, whose name
we have before mentioned in connection with the abolition
of the slave trade. He formed here a school for the educa-
tion of negroes of high degree from Sierra Leone. The air
of Clapham, although beneficial to Mr. Pepys, was not
suited to these frequenters of warmer climes, so the school
was given up. But Mr. William Greaves, who superintended
the establishment, by a stroke of policy, opened it again as
a school for the youth of Clapham, and here received his
education from 1807 to 1812 no less a personage than the
great Lord Macaulay.* It was at Clapham, then, that he
acquired the. rudiments of English history which was after-
wards to make him so famous. Passing through the arch-
way from the common, on the left hand can be seen the
school door which formed the entrance for the boys. Zachary
Macaulay, his father, had a house in what is now called
The Pavement, where young Tom passed a quiet and happy
childhood. The common, with all its resources, was at his
* G. O. Trevelyan, ' Life of Macaulay.'
CLAPHAM COMMON 115
command. A graphic description of his connection with it
is given by Sir George Trevelyan, in his life of his uncle :
' That delightful wilderness of gorse bushes, and poplar
groves, and gravel-pits, and ponds, great and small, was to
little Tom Macaulay a region of inexhaustible romance and
mystery. He explored its recesses, he composed and almost
believed its legends, he invented for its different features a
nomenclature which has been faithfully preserved by two
generations of children. A slight ridge intersected by deep
ditches towards the west of the common, the very existence
of which no one above eight years old would notice, was
dignified by the title of the Alps ; while the elevated island
covered with shrubs that gives a name to the Mount Pond
was regarded with infinite awe as being the nearest approach
within the circuit of his observation to the majesty of Sinai.'
Macaulay has left his name in the nearest road to his old
school leading off the common, which is called after him
Macaulay Road.
Upon the western side of the common, near Broomwood
Road, is Beechwood, at one time the residence of Field-
Marshal Sir George Pollock. He was distinguished as
being the only officer of the Indian Army to rise to the rank
of Field- Marshal. After a brilliant career in Afghanistan
and India, he succeeded Sir John Burgoyne as Constable of
the Tower, and was accorded a burial-place in Westminster
Abbey, where there are memorials to the following dis-
tinguished Claphamites : William Wilberforce, Zachary and
Lord Macaulay, Sir J. Mackintosh, and Granville Sharp.*
And now we must leave the common and its varied asso-
ciations. Changes are inevitable in a city which is always
growing, and though the common has not changed much of
late years, its surroundings have. Though it would not,
perhaps, furnish at the present day the most fitting retreat
for the pious reflections of a Wilberforce, it is still dear to
the thousands who are cooped up in narrow streets and
stuffy courts, for whom it affords the only glimpse of the
beauties of Nature.
* J. W. Grover, ' Old Clapham,' p. 61.
8—2
CHAPTER VI.
HILLY FIELDS, DEPTFORD PARK, AND TELEGRAPH
HILL.
HILLY FIELDS.
WE next come to a group of three enclosed grounds
opened to the public in three consecutive
years. The first of these, Hilly Fields, 45 J
acres in extent, is situated on the borders of
the parish of Lewisham in the county of London. It is on
the edge of the crowded parish of Deptford, one of the
poorest in London. A writer in the Times,* in an able
appeal for the preservation of this open space, pointed out
how unfavourably this district compared, in respect of open
spaces, with others in London in proportion to its popula-
tion. Taking the statistics compiled with such care by
Mr. Charles Booth, it will come as a surprise to many to
learn that in the county of London there is more poverty
south than north of the Thames, while the district lying
along the river frfrm Greenwich to Rotherhithe is the second
poorest in London. It remains true, no doubt, that in the
east of London there is the greatest mass of poverty, the
largest area of closely packed houses, because instead of the
comparatively open lands which border on the other parts of
London, in the East End there is the large poor and
populous area of Stratford and West Ham, outside the
county. But if only the London division is taken, it appears
* January 4, 1892.
HILLY FIELDS 117
that there is more poverty in proportion to population in the
district lying between Blackfriars and Woolwich than at the
East End, while the highest percentage of poverty in small
areas is also to be found south of the Thames. Thus, deal-
General View of Deptford from Brockley, 1815.
ing with blocks of about 30,000 inhabitants, Mr. Booth finds
that the two poorest are situate, one between Blackfriars and
London Bridge, and the other by the riverside at Greenwich,
which includes Deptford. The first with a population of
33,000 has 68 per cent, of poor; the second with 31,000,
ii8 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
65 per cent., whilst there is no similar block in East London
which has more than 59 per cent. In this poor and crowded
district, with which we are concerned, 213 persons live on
every acre. The time has long since passed when Deptford
had its country mansions, and its market gardens get fewrer
each year. Apart from Deptford Park, there are no open
spaces of any size in the parish. All the greater importance
therefore attaches to the preservation of such a fine open
space as this, which is only a mile distant from some of the
most congested quarters. But Deptford is not the only
district to reap benefit, for the more immediate neighbour-
hoods of Brockley and Lewisham, although comparatively
open at present, must ere long be covered with buildings to
accommodate the ever-increasing population of this mighty
London. Moreover, the character of the Hilly Fields gives
a wide range to their influence upon the health of the
Metropolis. It has long been recognised that it is especially
important to keep the hill-tops round London free from
buildings, so that the purity of the air blowing in from the
country may thus be preserved.
The cost of acquiring Hilly Fields was just under £45,000,
towards which the London County Council contributed
more than half, the Greenwich District Board £7,000, while
substantial sums were given by the Lewisham District Board,
the London Parochial Charities Trustees, the Kyrle Society,
and by several of the City companies and other bodies.
The character of the ground was not materially changed in
laying it out for public use. Part of the site which had been
used for brick-making had to be levelled, other swampy
portions were drained, and trees were planted on the whole.
A bandstand has been erected for musical performances,
footpaths have been formed, and a plain but substantial rail-
ing surrounds the whole area. As the name of the place
implies, it is too hilly to provide much scope for cricket and
football, but a space has been levelled for the former game,
and the remainder is open for children's sports and general
recreation. When the works of laying-out were completed,
HILLY FIELDS 119
the Fields were dedicated to the public on May 16, 1896, by
Sir Arthur Arnold, then Chairman of the London County
Council.
The immediate locality in which the Hilly Fields are
situate is of too recent growth to boast of many historical
associations. A portion purchased from the Corporation
was part of the Bridge House estates, which have a curious
origin. In evidence given before the Commissioners in 1854
it was stated that the fund was created by ancient grants
from the Crown, gifts from different individuals, and pur-
chases of property arising from the saving of the revenues at
different periods. On the first building of London Bridge, a
sort of crusade was preached by Peter of Colechurch. He
went about the country with a brief, and was enabled to
collect funds towards the erection of the bridge. Sometimes
money was given, and sometimes land, for the purpose of
building London Bridge ; at other times grants have been
made from the Crown, and purchases have been made out
of the surplus rents and profits of the Bridge House estates.
Property also has been given by will. The result is a fund
held in trust for the maintenance and support of London
Bridge. Although held originally for the maintenance of
this bridge alone, the estates were afterwards charged under
the authority of subsequent Acts of Parliament writh the cost
of keeping up Southwark and Blackfriars Bridges, and of
carrying out other works.
Ladywell, or Bridge House Farm, of which the Corpora-
tion land formed a part, was an estate of nearly 97 acres.
The farm-house was on the south side of Brockley Lane.
Game-shooting was quite common here some fifty years ago,
but the agricultural lease was determined in 1876, when the
character of the estate changed. That portion of the farm
now merged in Hilly Fields was then laid out for building
purposes. By a lease dated November, 1890, between the
Corporation and the New Land Development Association,
the company undertook before June, 1895, to erect ' good
and substantial brick or stone tenements of the value of not
120
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
less than £425 each,' so that the negotiations for the pre-
servation of this open space were only just in time.
In the neighbourhood of Hilly Fields there existed in the
twelfth century a monastery belonging to the Order of the
Premonstratensians. The monks of this Order were first
settled in this country at Ottham, in Sussex, but finding this
place very inconvenient for them, they quitted it for Brockley,
where they were granted land by Countess Juliana, wife of
Walkelin de Maminot, who owned the Manor of Brockley in
The Construction of the London and Brighton Railway (From a water-colour
drawing dated 1839.)
the latter end of the reign of Henry II. They did not
remain here long, for they quickly removed to Begham, in
Sussex, and the lands at Brockley were confirmed to them
till the abbey was dissolved with other monasteries in 1526.
The monks were also called Norbertins, after their founder,
St. Norbert, Confessor and Archbishop of Magdebourg. He
was born at Santen, in the duchy of Cleves, in 1080, died
in 1134, and was canonized by Pope Gregory XII. in 1582.
He built a monastery in the lonely valley of Premontre, in
HILLY FIELDS
121
the forest of Coucy, in 1121. In its primitive institution the
rules of the Order were very severe. The monks never wore
linen, and observed a perpetual abstinence from flesh, and a
yearly rigorous fast of many months. The exact site of the
monastery cannot now be located, but it was probably close
to the fine church of St. Peter's, Brockley.*
As recently as 1850 there was a fine open space to the
immediate north of Hilly Fields, viz., Deptford Common,
now all built upon. Previously to 1839, when the London
The Croydon Canal. (From an engraving dated 1815.)
and Croydon Railway was opened (now part of the London,
Brighton and South Coast Railway system), the whole of
this district consisted of agricultural estates, the farm-houses
dotted about amongst the fields being the only buildings.
The railway was built upon the site of the Croydon Canal,
which connected that town with the Grand Surrey Canal.
The nearest building on the west of the recreation ground
\vas the lock-keeper's cottage, which stood close to where
Brockley Station is now. The interesting old hostelry, the
* Dew, * History of Deptford,' p. 49.
122 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
' Brockley Jack,' with its traditional associations with Dick
Turpin, is one of these lock-houses which still survives,
although it is shortly to be rebuilt.
The buildings surmounting the Hilly Fields are those of
the West Kent Grammar School, which is one of the twenty-
seven schools belonging to the Church Schools Company,
Dean's Yard, Westminster. The building is about thirteen
years old, and at present affords accommodation for 150 boys.
The Locks on the Croydon Canal, looking South. (From an engraving
dated 1815.)
DEPTFORD PARK.
A year after the Hilly Fields were opened, Deptford had
a park of its own, dedicated to the public amidst much local
enthusiasm on Whit Monday, 1897, by Dr. Collins, J.P.,
D.L., Chairman of the London County Council in the Jubilee
year. The land forming the park, which is 17 acres in
extent, was formerly a part of the Deptford estates of the
Evelyn family, and had been let as market-gardens. The
purchase-money was fixed at £2,100 per acre, or a total of
about £36,000, which was less than the market value of the
land. Mr. Evelyn, in addition to selling the site at this low
figure, contributed £2,000 towards the purchase-money, and
DEPTFORD PARK 123
also presented two strips of land in order to increase the
width of the entrance from Lower Road, Deptford. The
rest of the money was raised by votes from the London
County Council £24,000, Board of Works for the Greenwich
District £8,250, and private subscriptions £1,750.
Perhaps the title of ' park ' for this place is too grandilo-
quent. It is really a recreation-ground of simple design,
consisting principally of a central playground, surrounded by
a broad walk for promenade, with well-planted margins.
Altogether about £7,500 was expended in laying out, the
largest item of which was for the boundary railings.
The changes through which the neighbourhood of Deptford
has passed even in the present century are many and varied.
One hundred years ago a recreation-ground would scarcely
have been needed, for at that time there were 500 acres of
market-gardens in the parish, chiefly cultivated for the onions,
celery and asparagus for which Deptford has long been
famous.* A meadow-flower, the Caryophyllus pratensis, was
named by old botanists the ' Deptford pink,' because of the
abundance in which it grew in the fields here. The change
in the character of the town from an agricultural to a manu-
facturing centre has rendered the little land that still
remains unenclosed quite unsuitable for market-gardens. It
seems to be the opinion of antiquaries that in the time of
Chaucer the whole of this district between Shooter's Hill
and London was a stretch of woodland and common, covered
with gorse and brushwood. For centuries after this the
place was nothing but an insignificant fishing village, in
many respects like Woolwich, except that it was less fashion-
able. Henry VIII. was the first monarch to raise it to fame
by the establishment of the royal dockyard here in 1513. So
rapid was its rise to importance that in less than forty years
it came to be the chief English dockyard. Many of the
earliest expeditions despatched from this country on voyages
of discovery were fitted out here, including those of such
men as Frobisher, Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh, Captains
* Lysons, * Environs of London,' 1811, vol. i., part ii., p. 468.
124 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Cook and Vancouver. The list of famous ' wooden walls '
built in the Deptford dockyard would fill many pages, and
so great was the fame of its master shipwrights that Peter
the Great, Czar of Russia, worked for some time as a ship's
carpenter in this yard in order to perfect himself in that art.*
Deptford Dockyard was found unsuitable for the construc-
tion of the present class of war-vessels that have supplanted
those by which England won her naval supremacy, and it
was therefore closed in 1869. The greater portion of the site
is now occupied by the Corporation's foreign cattle-market.
Deptford derives its name from the deep ford by which
the river Ravensbourne was crossed before the erection of
Deptford Bridge. The first record of any bridge across the
river dates back to 1395 ; but, although the necessity for a
ford has been done away with since this time, the old name
has still clung to the town which afterwards sprang up
around it.
The Manor of Deptford or West Greenwich, of which
these lands formed part, was bestowed by William the Con-
queror upon Gilbert de Magminot or Maminot, one of the
eight barons associated with John de Fiennes for the defence
of Dover Castle. No less than fifty-six knights' fees were
given him for this purpose, and he was instructed to dis-
tribute these among other trustworthy persons who should
assist him in this important work. These eight barons had
to provide between them 112 soldiers, twenty-five of whom
were always to be on duty within the castle, and the rest to
be ready for any emergency. Gilbert de Maminot's share of
the lands amounted to twenty-four knights' fees, which to-
gether made up the Barony of Maminot, held at Deptford
as the head of the barony. Maminot built a castle for him-
self at Deptford, of which all traces have now disappeared ;
but from the remains of some ancient foundations which
have been discovered, it is now conjectured that its site was
on the brow of the Thames in the neighbourhood of Sayes
Court, near the mast - dock. The grandson of Gilbert
* Dew, ' History of Deptford,3 1883, p. 87.
DEPTFORD PARK
125
de Maminot, named Walkelin, held Dover Castle against
King Stephen, although he afterwards surrendered it to his
Queen. In 1145 Walkelin gave half his estates in Dept-
ford to the Monastery of Bermondsey. His heiress, Alice
Maminot, married Geoffrey de Say, and brought to him the
lands of the barony. He granted this manor, together
with the advowson of the church and other appurtenances,
to the Knights Templars ; but his son, also named Geoffrey,
The Manor-House, Sayes Court. (From a copy of the original sketch by
John Evelyn.)
regained possession by exchanging the Manor of Sedlescomb
in Sussex for it. The manor continued in the Say family
by direct descent till the reign of Richard II., when Eliza-
beth de Say, to whom it belonged, married first of all Sir
John de Fallesle (Falwesle), and afterwards Sir William
Heron. The first-named knight married the heiress without
the license of the Crown, and King Richard II. seized her
lands, but, upon appeal, Parliament decided in the knight's
126 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
favour. Her second husband died without issue, and this
manor fell to the share of Otho Watlyaton. The next owner
of historical importance is William de la Pole, Earl of Suf-
folk, created Duke of Suffolk in 1448. He was charged with
the loss of Anjou and Normandy, and, being impeached by
the Commons, was sentenced to banishment for five years ;
but he was waylaid on his way to France, and murdered in
1450. His infant son, however, was restored to the title,
and another descendant and owner of the manor was involved
in political troubles ; for in Henry VII. 's reign he entered
into the plot to place Lambert Simnel on the throne, which
cost him his life at the Battle of Stoke, near Newark-upon-
Trent, to which place he was marching. His forfeited
estates were at once granted by the King to his uncle, Oliver
St. John, but Henry VIII. in 1514 granted unreservedly
to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, all the estates that
formerly belonged to the De la Poles, apparently prejudicing
the rights of St. John, whose representative was then but ten
years of age, and unable to protect himself. Charles Brandon
secretly married Mary, Queen of France, and upon the
advice of Cardinal Wolsey propitiated King Henry VIII.
with, certain payments out of her dowry. In return for his
services as mediator, the Duke bestowed this manor upon the
Cardinal for the term of his natural life. He died in 1530,
and five years later the Duke gave the manor to the King
in exchange. The grandson of Oliver St. John then came
forward and petitioned that the estates granted to his ancestor
might be restored to him, and in this he was successful.
Before the year 1538 this manor seems to have reverted to
the King, who granted it to one of his many wives, Katherine
Seymour. On her death it again came to his possession, and
he bestowed it on Sir Richard Long, of the Privy Chamber,
for the term of his natural life. The next King, Edward VI.,
granted to Sir Thomas Speke for the term of his life the
office of stewardship of his lordships and manors of Sayes
Court and West Greenwich (i.e., Deptford), and when he
died the same offices were held by Sir Thomas Darcy, K.G.,
DEPTFORD PARK 127
Lord Darcy of Chiche. The manor was retained in the
hands of the Crown during the reigns of James I. and
Charles I. ; but Sayes Court, the mansion-house, was leased
Portrait of John Evelyn. (After an oil painting by Sir Godfrey Kneller.)
for a term of forty-one years to Christopher Browne, who
had been resident bailiff here, and during his term of office
had spent considerable sums in repairing the buildings. This
lease was subsequently renewed, and the remainder was
128 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
devised to his grandson Richard, afterwards knighted, whose
only daughter and heiress, Mary, married John Evelyn, who
took possession of Sayes Court in 1648. Five years later he
bought the mansion for the sum of £3,500, and at once com-
menced laying out the famous garden there. Charles II.
confirmed the same to him in 1663 for ninety-nine years at
22s. 6d. rent, including about 64 acres of land. In the
same year the King, in consideration of £3,896, expended
by Sir Richard Browne during his residence in France,
demised to him for a term of thirty-one years, at an annual
rent of 405., certain other lands adjoining these. This was
surrendered in 1672 for a new patent, extending the term to
ninety-nine years. We have already seen that his son-in-law
Evelyn had been for some time previous to this in residence
at Sayes Court, whither he had been sent from Paris to
endeavour to ' compound with the soldiers,' and so save
something in the general wreck caused by the confiscations
of the Commonwealth. The grandson of Evelyn, also John,
afterwards became entitled to both leases. He petitioned,
therefore, for a grant in fee after payment of such considera-
tion as should be determined by the officers of the Crown,
and this petition was allowed. His descendants are still the
owners of these lands, called the Evelyn estate in Deptford.
To return now to the manor. Upon the death of Charles I.
all the royal estates were seized in order to be surveyed and
sold to supply the necessities of the State. The manor and
residue were sold to Thomas Buckner for himself and others
for the sum of £12,583 ; but on the restoration of Charles II.,
in 1660, the manor and demesnes undemised by the Crown
returned to the royal revenue, part of which the manor itself
continues.*
An inundation of unparalleled magnitude swept over not
only the site of Deptford Park, but also the greater part of
the town, in 1651. About 2 p.m. on New Year's Day the
storm became so violent that the waves forced down the
* These particulars relating to the manor are condensed from Hasted's
' History of Kent,' edited by H. H. Drake, 1886, pp. 2-9.
DEPTFORD PARK
129
piles of wood, and entered the shipping-yards, removing
great trees and baulks of timber that twenty horses could
scarcely move. By half-past two there were seven feet of
water in the lower town, which had increased to ten very
soon. The inhabitants fled to the upper town, leaving all
their property ' to the mercy of the merciless waves,' as
one writer described it. Those who were not sufficiently
prompt to effect their escape in time had to be rescued by
View from the Site of Deptford Park in 1840.
boats from the upper windows of their dwellings, and some
are said to have been drowned. Fortunately the waters
began to abate by four o'clock, but not till enormous damage
had been done. In addition to the havoc wrought in the
dockyards and dwelling-houses, more than 200 head of cattle
were drowned in the meadows of Deptford and the adjacent
fields. It seems that three black clouds were seen in the
firmament on the evening preceding the day of this great
flood, so that an old chronicler gives warning ' that when
9
130 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
you discern the sun to be eclipsed and the appearing of three
black clouds, then expect great inundations, loss of cattel,
changes and dreadful revolutions, even as a signal from
heaven, to purge nations and commonwealths from oppres-
sion and tyranny, and to restore to the freeborn their just
freedom and liberty, that so peace may abound within the
walls of Sion, and each man enjoy their own again.'*
The Grand Surrey Canal to the south of the park, is the
property of the Surrey Commercial Dock Company. It
commences at a point nearly opposite the eastern entrance
of the London Docks, and runs as far as the Camberwell
Road, with a branch towards Peckham. It was this canal
which connected the old Croydon canal with the river. The
land on the other side of the canal, in the direction of
Greenwich, now entirely covered with houses, was originally
known as Black Horse Fields. Upon this land was a wind-
mill, which was burnt down in 1854 while grinding stores
for the use of the Government during the Crimean .War.-)*
TELEGRAPH HILL.
This recreation-ground consists of two detached plots,
gj acres in all, lying on the upper portions of the slope of
Telegraph Hill, the highest point being upwards of 160 feet
above sea-level. The first step to secure this land for public
use was taken by Mr. Livesey, the managing director of the
South Metropolitan Gas Company, who wished to devote to
this object a sum of money which he had received as a testi-
monial to the energy and resources by which he had main-
tained the supply of gas during the severe strike of gas-
workers. He communicated with the Greenwich District
Board of Works, offering the sum of £2,000, and asking for
their co-operation in the object he had in view. They
warmly took up the offer, voting an amount of £2,000
towards the object, and they also applied to the London
County Council for assistance, and to the Haberdashers'
* Quoted in Dew's * History of Deptford,' pp. 248, 249.
f Sturdee, ' Old Deptford,' p. 49.
TELEGRAPH HILL 131
Company, who owned the property, to sell it on favourable
terms. Both these bodies responded to the appeal : the
Council promised a contribution of £2,000, and the com-
pany, who estimated the value of the land at £8,000, agreed
to sell it for this special purpose for £6,000, thus practically
giving £2,000 towards the acquisition, which was thus satis-
factorily accomplished.
Owing to the steep slopes and the rough nature of the
ground, some difficulties were experienced in laying it out
to the best advantage. On the larger plot is a small orna-
mental lake in two sections at different levels, from which
paths lead to a gravel promenade at a high elevation, in the
centre of which is a bandstand. From this plateau a good
view of the lake and grounds generally can be obtained.
This plot also contains a handsome drinking-fountain, the
gift of Mr. Livesey. The smaller plot, which crowns the
summit of the hill, is more level, and upon this lawn-tennis
and children's games are practicable. Altogether, a sum of
about £7,500 has been expended in fencing and laying out
the ground. When these works were completed, Telegraph
Hill was opened to the public on April 6, 1895, by Mr. (now
Sir) Arthur Arnold.
Telegraph Hill owes its present name to the fact that its
highest point was formerly one of the stations on the line of
semaphores which were used by the Board of Admiralty
before the discovery of the electric telegraph. The inven-
tion of the system of semaphore telegraphy is usually at-
tributed to Richard Lovell Edgeworth in 1767, although
the idea had occurred to several other inventors in other
countries. At any rate, they were in regular use by the
French in 1794, a year before they were introduced into
England by Lord George Murray. The credit for the inven-
tion is given in France to the brothers Chappe, who in their
younger days were sent to different schools a mile and a half
apart. As they were not allowed to communicate with one
another, they ingeniously set to work and devised a means
of signalling by means of pieces of wood exhibited at their
9—2
132
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
respective back - windows. In after -years they improved
upon their simple device, but the ignorance and superstition
of the French prevented it being put to any real use. Being
fortunate, however, in 1793 in telegraphing the news of a
Exterior of the Semaphore-Station, Telegraph Hill.
dated 1836.)
(From a sepia sketch
victory from the frontier to Paris, the utility of the system
became at once apparent, and semaphore-stations began to
be generally established, not only in France, but all over the
Continent. In Russia, particularly, some millions of pounds
TELEGRAPH HILL
133
were spent in building a line of semaphores from the German
frontier right through Warsaw to St. Petersburg. This line
was only completed in 1858, and no sooner was it at work
than the introduction of the electric telegraph made it quite
out of date.
The semaphore on Telegraph Hill was on the line between
London, Deal, and Dover, communication being established
Interior of the Semaphore-Station, Telegraph Hill.
The men in the centre are working the signals, whilst of those shown with the telescopes
one is receiving the message from Shooter's Hill, and the other is seeing that the
same is duly sent forward at the next station.
in 1795. Telegraphs were placed at the Admiralty, St.
George's-in-the-Fields, Telegraph Hill, Shooter's Hill, and
so on down to Deal. The station consisted of a small
wooden hut, on the top of which were six shutters, arranged
in two frames ; by means of opening and shutting these in
various ways, sixty-three distinct signals could be formed.
Each station was' in the charge of a naval officer, usually a
Lieutenant, with three men to assist him in receiving the
134 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
messages and transmitting them to the other stations. It is
interesting to know that this was the actual station that
communicated to the Metropolis the news of the glorious
victory of Waterloo.* The Deal and Plymouth lines fell
into disuse soon after the peace of 1815, owing to the cost
of maintenance.
It will be gathered from the fact that the Admiralty chose
this as a telegraph-station that it must command very exten-
sive views. Situated as it was then in the midst of fields,
far away from any houses, there was nothing to impede the
view into the surrounding counties. Even now, though the
terraces of bricks and mortar considerably mar the prospect,
the Tower Bridge, St. Paul's, and Westminster Abbey can
be distinctly seen, and on a fine day Alexandra Palace is
visible. The finest view is towards the south in the direction
of Sevenoaks, the most prominent feature being the well-
known clump of trees called Knockholt Beeches.
The growth of this neighbourhood has been very rapid.
The Ordnance map of 1873 is a perfect blank as far as houses
are concerned, the district being showrn as a series of fields.
Some of the finest nursery-grounds and market-gardens in
the south of London were situated here. When the school
•adjoining the ground was opened in 1875, there was not a
paved road or a house within some hundreds of yards of it,
and the party of the Haberdashers' Company at the opening
ceremony had to dismount from their carriages and walk
along planks placed across the mud, which was too deep for
the carriages to traverse. This development has, of course,
added considerably to the value. At the time of the pur-
chase of the manor by the Haberdashers' Company, it was
assessed for land-tax at a little over £100, now it must be
worth a fabulous amount.
Before the telegraph-station here gave it its present name,
this hill was known as Plow'd-Garlic-Hill. The derivation
of this name is involved in some obscurity. One conjecture
is that a member of the Garlic family, of whom there are
* T. Sturdee, 'Reminiscences of Old Deptford,' 1895, P- l8-
TELEGRAPH HILL
135
still some representatives in Deptford, may have held the
land as a farm, and given his name to it.
Geographically, Telegraph Hill is in the county of Surrey,
although it has in past years been considered as part of Kent.
Philipot (1796) in his ' Villare Cantianum,' speaking of the
Manor of Hatcham, says :
General View of Telegraph Hill.
' The manor was formerly considered as part of the county
of Kent, and its appropriation to either county became a
matter of contest until the year 1636, when it was decided
judicially to be subject to assessments as belonging to Surrey.
This determination was made on the petition of Mr. Ran-
dolph Crew, a London merchant, probably lessee of the
136 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
manor, who, on a levy of ship-money, was taxed for his
property here by the assessors of both counties. He did not,
like Hampden, question the legality of the tax, but merely
objected to the hardship of being compelled to make a double
payment, and petitioned the Lords of the Council for redress ;
when, being referred to the Judges of Assize for Kent and
Surrey, they, after inquisition and examination of witnesses,
on May 31, 1636, certified the Lords that the petitioner's
Manor of Hatcham lies in Surrey, and not in Kent. The certi-
ficate was signed by Francis Crawley, Justice of the Common
Pleas, and Richard Weston, Baron of the Exchequer.'*
The Manor of Hatcham-Bavant, or Hatcham-Barnes, in
which the recreation-ground is situated, is an offshoot of the
Manor of Hatcham. This parent manor was at the time of
the Doomsday survey in the hands of the Bishop of Lisieux.
The entry runs as follows :
' In Brixton Hundred, the Bishop of Lisieux holds of the
Bishop of Bayeux Hachesham, which Brixi held of King
Edward. It was then assessed at three hides as it is now,
the arable land amounts to three caracutes. There are nine
villanes and three bordars with three caracutes, and there
are six acres of meadow ; the wood yields three swine ; from
the time of King Edward (the Confessor) it has been valued
at forty shillings. 'f
From the description given in this entry, together with
the old Saxon name of Deptford-Meretone — i.e., the town in
the marshes — we can easily gather that in early times this
district consisted of well-wooded marsh-land. Owing to its
proximity to the Thames, it must have been covered with
swamps and creeks. Traces of Roman occupation have
been discovered from time to time. In 1735, so Hasted,
the Kentish historian, informs us, there were unearthed in a
garden near the road at New Cross a simpulum (sacrificial
cup), two urns, and ' five or six of those viols usually called
lachrymatories. ' J
* Quoted in Dew's ' History of Deptford,' 1883, p. 15. f Ibid.^ p. 44.
I Hasted's 'History of Kent,J by Streatfield and Larking, edited by
H. H. Drake.
TELEGRAPH HILL 137
In Henry II. 's time Hatcham gave name to a family, one
of whom, Gilbert de Hatchesham, accounted for four knights'
fees of the barony of Walkelin de Maminot. In the reign of
Richard I., two knights' fees in Hatcham and Camberwell
were held of the Earl of Hereford by William de Say (from
whom Sayes Court is named) and the heirs of Richard de
Vabadun. Roger de Bavant, who had married the daughter
and heiress of De Vabadun, owned the manor in the time of
Henry III., and accounted for two knights' fees of the above-
mentioned barony. The tithes of Hatcham were given to
the monks of Bermondsey in 1173, and in 1274 a composi-
tion was made between the Prior of Bermondseye and the
Abbot of Begham concerning the tithes of Hacchesham, in
the parish of West Greenwich, let to the said Abbot for
135. 4d. per annum.
To pass on now to 1285, we find that Adam de Bavant,
son of Roger, had free warren for his lands here ; but he
alienated a portion of the estate directly afterwards to
Gregory de Rokesley, citizen of London, formerly Lord
Mayor. In the same year he obtained a faculty from the
Abbot and Convent of Begham for his oratory, which he had
built for the use of himself and family here at Hechesan, in
their parish of West Greenwiche, saving to themselves all
oblations and other rights. The portion retained by Adam
de Bavant, with which we are more immediately concerned,
was distinguished from the remainder by the name of
Hatcham-Barnes. It was afterwards conveyed, together
with other properties, by Roger de Bavant to King
Edward III., and he, by letters patent dated July 20,
1371, granted the manor to the Prioress and Convent of
Dartford, which he had founded. It remained in their
hands till Henry VIII. confiscated the property of all the
monasteries, and it was held by the Crown till the time of
Philip and Mary. Ann, widow of George Seymour, Duke
of Somerset, then had a life interest in the manor assigned
to her.*
* Hasted's ' History of Kent,' by Streatfield and Larking, edited by
H. H. Drake, p. 19.
138 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
On its reverting again to the Crown, James I. in 1610
granted it, together with other lands formerly belonging to
the Convent of Dartford, to George Salter and John
Williams. They sold the estate to Peter Vanlore, and he
in turn to a person named Brookes, who conveyed it to Sir
John Gerrard and Sir Thomas Lowe, Aldermen of London,
Robert Offley and Martin Bond, citizens of London and
haberdashers, for a consideration amounting to £9,000.
These funds had been bequeathed by a Mr. William Jones,
11111
,~_jBP
Hate ham House. (From a water-colour sketch dated 1841.)
a native of Newland, near Monmouth, to be held by the
Haberdashers' Company in trust for founding and support-
ing an almshouse and free grammar-school at Monmouth.
This William Jones is described as a pedlar or travelling
haberdasher, and, as was then the custom, he was a member
of the Company of Haberdashers, formerly called mercers or
merchants. Having become rich, he left his wealth, like
many others of his class, for the improvement of the condi-
tion of his less-fortunate brethren, and for the education of
children of future generations. The manor - house was
advertised to be let in February, 1775, and was described
TELEGRAPH HILL 139
then as being surrounded by a moat well stocked with fish.
Hatcham House, as it was called, with its moat and park,
has long since disappeared, the site being covered with rows
of cottages, although it has given its name to the locality
known as Hatcham Park.
The space between the southern plot and Pepys Road is
occupied by the modern Church of St. Catherine, Hatcham,
built from the designs of Mr. Henry Stock, A.R.I.B.A., and
consecrated on October 10, 1894, by the Bishop of Rochester.
It is another standing memorial to the liberality of the
Haberdashers' Company, the patrons of the living, who built
and endowed it at a cost of over £22,000. It is cruciform
in shape, constructed of Kentish ragstone, and accommo-
dates 900 people. The total internal length is 127 feet
6 inches, with a maximum breadth of 57 feet 6 inches. The
five-aisled arrangement of the transept is a special feature of
the interior, which gives an appearance of great size, and
keeps the perspective of the aisles unbroken. The pulpit
and reredos are of stone, and are enriched with .mosaics
depicting Scripture scenes. When the tower and spire are
added, the church, owing to its elevated site, will be a
conspicuous landmark for miles around.
The adjoining Aske's Schools, on the opposite side of
Pepys Road, built by the Haberdashers' Company in 1875,
have served the purpose for which they were placed in the
middle of an estate ready for development. They were
founded under a scheme of the Charity Commissioners dated
1873, utilizing funds bequeathed in 1688 by Robert Aske,
citizen and haberdasher, for the maintenance of almshouses
and the education of twenty boys, sons or grandsons of free-
men. This Robert Aske, who lived towards the end of the
seventeenth century, was a grandson of the celebrated Robert
Aske, of the old Yorkshire family, who headed the insurrec-
tion— known in history as the Pilgrimage of Grace, 1536—
against Henry VIII. 's arbitrary policy in Church matters,
and especially the dissolution of the smaller monasteries.
The name Aske is another form of Ash, and refers to the
140 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
strong, straight, and useful ash-tree. The amount of the
bequest realized £20,000, and it was the subject of a special
Act of Parliament, December 20, 1690. The trustees — the
Haberdashers' Company — expended this money in the
purchase of 21 acres in Hoxton, and other lands near
Ashford, in Kent. The total amount held reaches nearly
2,000 acres, but whereas the value of the Hoxton lands has
increased enormously during the 200 years they have been
in the company's possession, the depression in agriculture
has seriously lessened the income of the Kentish land. The
4 acres of land on which the school-buildings stand were
purchased in 1873 for £3,200 from Jones' Charity, by consent
of the Charity Commissioners. The schools were opened in
1875, one f°r boys to accommodate 300, the other for 200
girls. This accommodation proved insufficient as the schools
filled, and a new school was built for 400 girls at the bottom
of Jerningham Road, and opened in January, 1891. The
building up to that time occupied by the girls was then
handed over to the boys' school.
CHAPTER VII.
KENNINGTON PARK.
IT is not often we find, in tracing the past history of any
open space which has been left unenclosed for any
considerable length of time, that the last state is better
than the first ; yet such is the case with Kennington
Park. So many of the commons in the south of London have
been liable to the pilferings of wealthy land-owners, through
the laxity of those authorities to whom their care has been
entrusted, that it is a relief to turn to a place which has
ameliorated in the lapse of time. In these years this attrac-
tive and compact little park, as we shall have to relate
further on in this chapter, has passed through many vicissi-
tudes, no less strange than the whole district of Kennington
itself.
Those who are best competent to form an opinion on such
points affirm that in ancient days there was a vast bay here,
which covered the whole of the low-lying district. Traces
of this can be found in the fossil remains brought to light
during excavations. The earliest recorded fact, too, in the
history of Kennington is of a maritime nature, namely, the
appearance of a fleet of warships in 1016, when Canute the
Dane came through it by means of a canal on his way to
capture London from the Saxon King Ethelred the Un-
ready.* Another fiact in the early history of Kennington, also
connected with the Danes, accounts for the etymology of
the name, which means King's Town. Canute's son, Hardi-
* Tanswell, ' History of Lambeth,' 1858, p. 197.
142 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Canute, was present at the marriage-feast of one of his lords,
and drank so heavily that he died here some days after-
wards.
The land now enclosed as Kennington Park, together
with the outlying portions, were part of the Manor of Ken-
nington, which is the property of the Prince of Wales in
right of his Duchy of Cornwall. The entry in Doomsday
Book with regard to this manor states that ' Teodric, the
goldsmith, holds of the King Chenintune. He held it of
King Edward. Then it was taxed for five hides, now for
one hide and three virgates. The arable land consists of
two caracutes and a half. In demesne there is one caracute
and one villan, and one bordar with two caracutes. There
is one villan in gross and four acres of meadow. It was
worth and is worth £3.'
In 1189 King Richard I. granted to Sir Robert Percy the
custody of all his demesne lands in this manor, together
with all the profits, in return for the payment of 20 marcs
a year. He was also appointed steward of the lordship of
Kennington, and keeper of the manor-house there, for which
the King remunerated him.
In 43 Henry III. the custody of this manor was granted
by the King to Richard de Freemantell. Without entering
into the various grants of the manor, which are of little
interest, we can come to the time of Edward III., when it
was in the possession of Edward the Black Prince, probably
by grant from the King. After his death in 1377 it de-
scended to his son Richard (afterwards King Richard II.),
who was living at the Palace of Kennington with his mother
when his father died.
King James I. in his eighth year settled the Manors of
Kennington and Vauxhall, together with a messuage in
Lambeth and Newington, on Henry, Prince of Wales ; and
subsequently, on his death in 1612, upon Prince Charles,
and the Manor of Kennington has ever since remained part
of the estate of the Prince of Wales.*
* Allen, 'Lambeth,' pp. 255-259.
144 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
It is only of late years that this place has been exalted to
the dignity of a park. Before 1852 it was simply Kenning-
ton Common, and probably formed a continuous piece of
ground with St. George's Fields at a time when they were
fields in reality as well as in name. The common was
uncared for, the wooden railings which divided it from the
public road were allowed to fall into decay, and all kinds
of shows and stalls took up their stand there without any
interference. Its surface was covered with hillocks, ponds
and ditches, and it was divided into sections by the coach-
road. Some houses facing the common in Manley Place
had back-gates on to it, some of which remain even now.
The common, like most other village greens, had no par-
ticular notoriety till the middle of last century when it was
the scene of several gruesome executions. It must have
been a particularly uninviting spot to judge from a descrip-
tion written in 1794 : ' At present it is common to all cattle,
without stint, belonging to those parishioners who reside
within the Prince of Wales's liberty, whose property it is,
who pay a certain stipend per head ; the sum goes towards
defraying those expenses which the keeping up of the fence,
etc., necessarily incurs. It is shut during the winter six
months and opens again in spring ; but it is no sooner
opened than the number of the cattle turned in is so great,
that the herbage is soon devoured, and it remains entirely
bare the rest of the season.'* The result would be much
the same now, if the public were allowed to roam freely all
over the park, to such an extent is it patronized. On a
recent Whit Monday a census of visitors was taken, and it
was found that no less than 40,000 entered, giving an
average of 2,051 per acre. It is found necessary to close
and open alternately the two large grass enclosures in the
centre of the park which are specially devoted to the chil-
dren. If this were not done, there would hardly be a square
yard of grass left by the end of July.
• It is hard to realize that this little oasis was the scene of
* Malcom's Report, 410., 1794.
KENNINGTON PARK 145
the butcheries we have incidentally referred to. In 1745
Charles Edward Stuart, better known as the Young Pre-
tender, attempted to regain the throne of England for the
Jacobites, and made an advance upon Carlisle, where some
of his adherents had been left, but was forced to retire. The
Duke of Cumberland thereupon laid siege to the town and
captured it, taking several prisoners. Among these were
several officers of the Manchester Regiment, upon whom
was vented all the wrath of the Duke. Jesse, in his
' Memoirs of the Pretenders,' tells us of the fate they met
with on Kennington Common. Their names were Francis
Townly, who commanded the regiment, Fletcher, Chadwick,
Dawson, Deacon, Berwick, Blood, Syddal and Morgan, who
were tried in the court-house of St. Margaret, Southwark,
on July 15, 1745, and the three following days, and were all
ordered for execution. Eight of their brother officers, who
were condemned at the same time, received reprieves. The
whole of these gallant but ill-fated men met their end with
the greatest firmness, remaining true to their principles to
the last. About eleven o'clock on July 30 they were con-
veyed in three hurdles from the new gaol, Southwark, to
Kennington Common attended by a strong guard of soldiers.
In the first hurdle or sledge were Colonels Blood and
Berwick, the executioner sitting by them holding a drawn
sword. All the horrors which had been contrived in a
barbarous age as a punishment for high treason were actually
carried out on this .occasion in their most terrible shape.
Near the gallows were placed a block and a large heap of
faggots ; the former to assist the hangman in his bloody task
of disembowelling and beheading the prisoners, and the latter
for burning their hearts and entrails. While the prisoners
were being transferred from their several sledges into the
cart from which they were to be turned off, the faggots were
set on fire, and the soldiers then formed a circle round the
place of execution.
Though unattended by a clergyman, they spent about an
hour in devotion, Morgan taking upon himself the task of
10
146 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
reading prayers, to which the others calmly but fervently
responded. On rising from their knees, they threw some
written papers among the spectators, which were afterwards
found to contain the most ardent professions of attachment
to the cause for which they suffered, and a declaration that
they continued true to their principles to the last. They
also severally delivered papers of a similar import to the
Sheriffs, and then, throwing down their gold-laced hats, they
submitted themselves to the tender mercies of the hangman.
Having hung about three minutes Colonel Townly was
the first to be cut down, and having been stripped of his
clothes was laid on the block, and his head severed from
his body. The executioner then extracted his heart and
entrails, which he threw into the fire, and in this manner,
one by one, proceeded to the disgusting task of beheading
and disembowelling the bodies of the remaining eight.
Three more of the officers captured at Carlisle were also
executed three weeks later at Kennington Common — James
Nicholson, Walter Ogilvie, and Donald Macdonald. Being
Scotchmen, they came to the place of execution dressed in
full Highland costume, and were subjected to the same
tortures as the English officers. Once more in November
of the same year five more persons were executed — John
Hamilton, Governor of Carlisle, who had signed its capitula-
tion ; Sir John Wedderburn, Bart., who had taken charge of
the Excise in the time of the insurrection ; and three others.
When in prison they were not informed of their fate till the
morning of the day fixed for their execution, when they were
conducted to the common. It may be noted here in connec-
tion with these executions that one of the titles of the Duke of
Cumberland was ' Earl of Kennington,' and this may possibly
account for their taking place on the common and not at
Tyburn.
An old record of 1678 gives an account of another execu-
tion which was quite in accord with the primitive ideas of
justice of those times. It is as follows : ' Warning for bad
wives, or the manner of the burning of Sarah Elston, who
KENNINGTON PARK
147
was burnt to death at the stake of Kennington Common for
the murder of her husband. On the day of the execution
Sarah Elston was dressed all in white, with a vast multitude
of people attending her, and after very solemn prayers offered
on the said occasion, the fire was kindled, and giving two or
three lamentable shrieks, she was deprived both of voice and
life, and so burnt to ashes.'*
Flower-Beds in Kennington Park.
The last person executed on the common was a man
named Badger, who was convicted of forgery in the early
part of this century. He was a man moving in good society,
and lived in a large house near Camberwell Green, where he
frequently gave musical parties. The circumstances con-
nected with his arrest reveal the humorous side of his char-
acter. On this particular night he was giving a musical
evening, and when the guests were all assembled the servant
* Quoted in Montgomery's ' History of Kennington,' p. 32.
10 — 2
I48 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
came up to the master of the house and announced the fact
that there were two gentlemen in the hall who wished to
speak with him. Badger descended to the front-door, and
there found that the two gentlemen were Bow Street officers
sent to arrest him on a charge of forgery. Badger informed
them that he had a large party of friends in the house at that
moment, and represented that it would be most inconvenient
to himself, and a great shock to his family and his friends,
were he to be arrested at once. He asked if they would
consent to remain in the house until the party broke up,
when he would at once accompany them. The two officers
consented to wait till the close of the party on condition
that Badger did not leave their presence on any account.
They were then actually introduced to the company as two
City friends of the host, who had unexpectedly come to the
house, and whom he had prevailed upon to join the party.
Badger kept up his spirits and did his duty so well that no
one suspected the truth ; he sang songs at the very piano
which concealed the little closet in the wall where he had
secreted the evidences of his guilt. When the guests were
all gone, the family were informed who these two strange
gentlemen were, and Badger, taking leave of his relatives,
was conveyed away. He was convicted, and sentenced to
be hanged, and his execution was the last which took place
on Kennington Common.* As an example of the irony of
fate, it may be mentioned that Kennington Church now
occupies the site of these executions, so that in a very literal
sense the blood of the martyrs becomes here the seed of the
church. In preparing the foundations, the site of the gibbet
was discovered, and a curious piece of iron, which probably
was the swivel attached to the head of the unfortunate
criminal, was also found.!
This church, dedicated to St. Mark, was one of those built
out of the funds voted by Parliament in 1818 for the building
of churches in London and in the great provincial towns.
* Montgomery, * History of Kennington,' p. 33.
t Allen, * History of Lambeth,' 1827, p. 386.
KENNINGTON PARK 149
After the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 a resolution was passed
in the House of Commons ' That it would be necessary and
becoming to make some great demonstration of thankfulness
to Almighty God for the return of peace by promoting the
building of churches.' The sum of a million and a half
sterling was the outcome of this resolution, and among
others were built the four churches so similar in external
appearance : St. Matthew, Brixton ; St. Mark, Kennington ;
St. Luke, Norwood ; and St. John, Waterloo Road. The
foundation stone of St. Mark's was laid in 1822, and it was
consecrated in 1824, the cost of building being £15,274.
The road which divides the church from the main portion
of Kennington Park is on the site of the celebrated Roman
road, Watling Street, which commenced at Richborough in
Kent, and passing through Canterbury, Rochester, and Dart-
ford came to Kennington on its way to Chester and Car-
narvon. Old prints of Kennington Common show us the
turnpike gate which existed till recent years. Though the
gate has disappeared, the name still remains.
The common was favoured with as many preachers as the
church, and perhaps there has been no piece of ground so
much used for preaching of all kinds. Whitefield sometimes
preached here to congregations of 40,000 people, and he
records in his diary an account of a farewell sermon he
delivered on the common before one of his trips to America.
The entry runs as follows :
'Friday, August 3, 1739. — Having spent the day in com-
pleting my affairs and taking leave of dear friends, I
preached in the evening to near 20,000 people at Kenning-
ton Common. I chose to discourse on St. Paul's parting
speech to the elders at Ephesus, at which the people were
exceedingly affected, and almost prevented my making my
application. Many tears were shed when I talked of leaving
them. I concluded with a suitable hymn, but could scarce
get to the coach for the people thronging me to take me by
the hand and give me a parting blessing.'
The doubtful quality of some of the itinerant preachers
150 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
led to their being caricatured in a play called ' The
Hypocrite,' which was produced at Drury Lane in 1769.
' Lady Lambert. — Did you ever preach in public ?
' Maw worm. — I got up on Kennington Common the last
review day ; but the boys threw brickbats at me, and pinned
crackers to my tail ; and I have been afraid to mount, your
ladyship, ever since.'*
Father Mathew, the celebrated Irish temperance advocate,
who claimed to have made more than a million converts,
was also here in 1843. At the meetings which he held on
the common on August 7, 8, and 9 of that year, 8,000
persons took the pledge. A former proprietor of the
Horns, who was by no means a disinterested party, in
entering an account of this event in his diary, very dryly
adds : ' Plenty of business in the house. 'f
The common was the scene of the first nomination of
members of Parliament for the borough of Lambeth. At
the time of the passing of the Reform Bill of 1832, Lambeth
had 4,768 registered electors, but no member. The Reform
Bill made Lambeth a Parliamentary borough with two seats,
and when the voting took place, one of the chief polling-
booths was on the common.
The next elections on the common were in 1834, z^37>
1841, and 1847.
But although the passing of the Reform Bill had given
satisfaction in Lambeth, there were many people — especially
among the lower classes — who felt themselves aggrieved by
its provisions. They banded themselves together in various
parts of the country under the name of Chartists, from their
demanding the People's Charter, the six points of which were :
Universal suffrage,
Vote by ballot,
Annual Parliaments,
Payment of the members,
Abolition of property qualifications, and
Equal electoral districts.
* ' Hypocrite,' Act II., Scene i.
f Quoted in Montgomery's ' Kennington,' p. 56.
KENNINGTON PARK 151
The movement did not make much headway till 1838,
when the malcontents assembled at different towns, armed
with guns, pikes, and other weapons, and carrying torches
and flags. A proclamation was issued against them in
December of that year, and in 1839 their petition was
presented to Parliament by Mr. T. Attwood. Soon after
this they committed great outrages at Birmingham and
Newport. For some time they held a sort of Parliament
called the National Convention, the leading spirits being
Feargus O'Connor, Henry Vincent, and Mr. Stephens.
After a break of some years, there occurred in 1848 the
meeting on Kennington Common which would have made it
famous if nothing else had ever happened there. The meet-
ing was fixed for April 10. On the day before there was
a feeling of terror throughout the Metropolis. A vague sense
of approaching evil seemed to haunt the minds of the
populace. But there was one man who was fully equal to
the occasion, and by his firmness, coolness, and tact in a
great measure allayed the general feeling of unrest. This
was the Duke of Wellington. Thousands of soldiers and
police were called out for the maintenance of order, and an
army of special constables was enrolled, computed at 150,000
for the Metropolis, among them being Louis Napoleon,
afterwards Napoleon III. The great Duke himself paid a
visit to Kennington early on the morning of the loth, to see
that all the arrangements were complete. The Chartists
proposed to hold a meeting of 200,000 people on the
common, and thence to march in procession to the Houses
of Parliament to present a monster petition embodying their
views. They were informed by the police that the monster
petition would be allowed to be taken to the House, but that
no procession through the" streets would be permitted. The
proceedings on the common commenced with a few denun-
ciatory speeches, and then the mob became restless, so that
no one could obtain a hearing, and the chairman found it
necessary to dissolve the meeting. The crowds then melted
away without any order, and the bundles forming the petition
152 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
were ingloriously conveyed to the House in cabs. The
numbers on the common fell very far short of the boasted
200,000, some authorities putting them as low as 15,000.
About an hour afterwards only 100 persons were to be seen
on the common, and by a few hours, anyone who had not
been present would have been quite ignorant that anything
unusual had happened. So ended this great fiasco, and
from this time the proceedings of the Chartists became
insignificant.
Soon after the Chartist meeting, Kennington Common
was transformed into a park. The credit of this belongs to
certain local gentry, chief among whom was Mr. Oliver
Davis. With him were associated Mr. Adam and the Vicar
of the parish, the Rev. Charlton Lane. It was a long and
arduous fight for them, and it was not till 1852 that they
succeeded in their object. There were some 200 copy-
holders who had rights in the common ; in many cases they
were not to be found, and when their consent was asked to
the change, it was not granted. This will give some idea of
the difficulties that had to be encountered.* Finally an Act
of Parliament was obtained, and the Government agreed to
form the park on condition that the inhabitants paid the
cost of the railing round it, estimated at £1,000. The
Prince of Wales, who, as owner of the Duchy of Cornwall
estates, has large interests in the neighbourhood, subscribed
£200, and the remaining £800 was raised by local subscrip-
tion. In the laying out, an amalgamation of the plain
geometrical and the English styles has been adopted. It is
furnished with a gymnasium and playground, which in this
populous neighbourhood is in constant use. Around the
lodge there is an effective arrangement of common garden
flowers in sunk panels of turf.
Although the park is a small one, being only 19^
acres in extent, the work of laying out has been carried
out most effectively. The shrubs are very fine, particularly
the belt of flowering varieties just inside the railings. The
* Montgomery. ' History of Kennington,' p. 48.
KENNINGTON PARK 153
control of the park was transferred to the late Metropolitan
Board of Works in 1887, under the London Parks and
Works Act, and two years later to their successors, the
London County Council. It has undergone various im-
provements under their ownership. A strip of land facing
South Place was acquired under Parliamentary powers in
1888, and added to the park. There was also a small strip
at the junction of Brixton Road and Camberwell New Road,
called ' No Man's Land,' used as a store-yard, upon which
stood the remains of the old pound and a few large trees.
As this proved quite an eye-sore, and could not be put to
any profitable purpose, it was laid out, planted, and fenced,
and now forms a kind of ' anteroom ' to the park itself.
The laying-out of the park led to another event of almost
national importance, namely the formation of the Oval
cricket ground, the scene of so many keen struggles. The
Prince Consort said that as the inhabitants were losing
a place where they played cricket, the Duchy of Cornwall
would lease the Oval, which was then a market-garden, to
any proper authorities who would encourage the sport.
This led to the formation of the Surrey Club, as the con-
sequence of a meeting held at the Horns, and ever since the
Oval has been leased to them at a low rental* (£750 at
present).
The park contains an unpretentious memorial to the late
Prince Consort. In the ivy-covered lodge maybe recognised
the model lodging-house which was designed by him for the
Exhibition of 1851. A storyt is told of the first inhabitants
of this lodge, which led to the fountain being erected in the
park. These people had been dubbed 'Adam and Eve.'
One sultry afternoon a gentleman nicknamed ' Young Slade '
went into this house to ask for a glass of water. It may
be mentioned that ' Young Slade ' was only eighty, but as
his father had always been known as ' Old Slade,' the dis-
tinctive name of ' Young ' was given to his son. A glass
of tepid water in a dirty tumbler was given him, for which
* Montgomery, * History of Kennington,' p. 48. t Ibid.
154
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
he was charged threepence. Slade went home and brooded
over this. The result of the brooding was a fountain pre-
sented to the park of the value of 500 guineas. It is of
polished granite, surmounted by a bronze casting, which
represents Hagar and Ishmael at the well, after the design
of Mr. C. H. Driver, F.R.I. B.A.
The Drinking Fountain, Kennington Park.
The handsome terra-cotta fountain in
the centre of the park between the
gymnasium and the lodge was the gift of Sir Henry Doulton
to the park, and was erected in 1869. The subject repre-
sented at the top is ' The Pilgrimage of Life,' and was sug-
gested to the sculptor, Mr. George Tinworth, by a German
original. The fountain is interesting chiefly as being the first
piece of Mr. Tinworth's figure modelling after his connection
with the Lambeth Art School. The design was carried out
KENNINGTON PARK 155
under the supervision of Mr. Sparkes, the Principal of the
City and Guilds Institute, Kennington Park Road. The
figure was not exhibited previous to its erection, and there
is no replica of the fountain in existence.*
To leave the park for a moment, we may consider some
of the buildings overlooking it which are of interest. The
three houses adjoining the park at the corner of South Place
and Kennington Road were taken by Dr. Randall Davidson
as a temporary episcopal palace for the See of Rochester,
and a permanent building was commenced in the grounds
from the designs of R. Norman Shaw, R.A. This was com-
pleted and inaugurated in 1896.
On the opposite side near St. Mark's Church may be seen
the dome of the Oval Station on the City and South London
Electric Railway. The lines are carried in two sunk tunnels
at some distance from the ground-level, which is reached by
hydraulic lifts. The railway, which extends from the Monu-
ment to Stockwell, was opened by the Prince of Wales in
November, 1890.
Overlooking the principal entrance to the park is the
celebrated Horns Tavern, with its assembly-rooms. This
handsome pile of buildings was erected in 1887. -^n the °^
inn on the same site, which had tea-gardens at the rear, died
an eccentric individual, Joseph Capper. He had a very
humble beginning in life, coming from Cheshire to London
to be a grocer's apprentice. He was very energetic in busi-
ness, and started on his own account as soon as his
apprenticeship was finished. Having been very successful,
he amassed sufficient property to retire. For several days
he walked about the vicinity of London searching for
lodgings, without being able to please himself. Being one
day much fatigued, he called at the Horns, took a chop and
spent the day, and asked for a bed in his usual blunt manner,
when he was answered in the same churlish style by the
landlord that he could not have one. Mr. Capper was
resolved to stop if he could all his life, to plague the growl-
* Communicated by Messrs. Doulton and Co.
156 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
ing fellow, and refused to retire. After some further alterca-
tion, however, he was accommodated with a bed, and never
slept out of it for twenty-five years. During that time he
made no agreement for lodging or eating, but wished to be
considered a customer only for the day. He lived in a most
mechanical way, and his bill for a fortnight amounted
regularly to £4 i8s. His conduct to his relations was
extremely capricious ; he never would see any of them. As
View of Flower-Beds and Tin-worth Statuette, Kennington Park.
they were chiefly in indigent circumstances, he had frequent
applications from them to borrow money. 'Are they in-
dustrious ?' he would inquire, when, being answered in the
affirmative, he would add : ' Tell them I have been deceived
already, and never will advance a sixpence by way of loan ;
but I will give them the sum they want, and if ever I hear
that they make known the circumstance, I will cut them off
with a shilling.' Soon after a Mr. Townsend became pro-
prietor of the Horns, and being in want of ready money, he
KENNINGTON PARK 157
applied to Mr. Capper for a temporary loan. * I wish,' said
Capper, ' to serve you, Townsend — you are an industrious
fellow — but how is it to be done, Mr. Townsend ? I have
sworn never to lend ; I must therefore give it thee,' which
he accordingly did the following day. He died in October,
1804, leaving the bulk of his property (upwards of £30,000)
among his poor relations, and was buried in a vault under
Aldgate Church.*
Opposite to the Horns Tavern on the other side of the
park stands St. Agnes' Church, designed by Sir G. Gilbert
Scott in the English Middle Pointed style of architecture.
It depends mainly for its effect upon its loftiness, the height
from the floor to the external ridge being 75 feet. Inside
the church the chief features are the stained-glass windows
and the chancel screen. It occupies part of the site of what
were once very offensive vitriol works. These were the pro-
perty of Thomas Farmer, and the streets which have been
built on the site have been named after him Farmer's Road
and Thomas Street. * Kennington Common,' wrote Thomas
Miller, in his ' Picturesque Sketches in London,' published
in 1852, ' is but a name for a small grassless square, sur-
rounded with houses, and poisoned by the stench of vitriol
works and by black, open, sluggish ditches ; what it will be
when the promised alterations are completed we have yet
to see.' We feel quite safe in leaving the decision in those
of our readers' hands who have visited the park in its present
state.
* Allen, « History of Lambeth,' pp. 385, 386.
CHAPTER VIII.
LADYWELL RECREATION-GROUND— MARYON PARK.
LADYWELL RECREATION-GROUND.
THIS recreation - ground consists of a series of
meadows stretching along the banks of the river
Ravensbourne for a distance of nearly a mile
between Catford Bridge and Ladywell railway-
stations. There are two other grounds in the district which
are apt to be confused with this, namely, the Ravensbourne
Recreation-Ground and the Sydenham Recreation-Ground,
but these are maintained locally.
Ladywell takes its name from the old well in Ladywell
Road, at the two old cottages near the entrance to Ladywell
Cemetery. In ancient times, no doubt, some miraculous
cures took place at this spot, which would be connected
with Our Lady by the faithful, and so the name has been
handed down.
This recreation-ground was formerly part of the Manor of
Lewisham, which means the village of pastures. This manor
was given by ^Elthruda, niece of Alfred, about the year 900
to the Abbey of St. Peter in Ghent, and it is thus described
in Doomsday Book : ' The Abbot of Gand holds of the king,
Levesham. And he held it of King Edward. And then,
and now, it answers for two sulings. There is the arable
land of fourteen teams. In demesne there are two teams.
And fifty villans, with nine bordars, have seventeen teams.
From the produce of the port forty shillings. Thirty acres
LADY WELL RECREATION-GROUND
159
of meadow there. The entire manor, in the time of King
Edward, was worth sixteen pounds. And afterwards twelve
pounds. Now thirty pounds.' As St. Peter's of Ghent was
a foreign abbey, a cell known as Lewisham Priory was
established here in accordance with the usual custom. The
manor with its appendages remained in the possession of the
abbey till 1414, when the alien priories throughout England
were suppressed, and their lands forfeited to the Crown.
King Henry V. then granted the manor for the support of
his new-founded house, or Carthusian priory, of Bethlehem,
of Shene. It reverted to the Crown in 1538 together with
Sketch of the Lady Well. (From Knight's ' Journey through Kent,' 1842.)
other conventual property throughout the country, and
ten years later was granted for life to Thomas, Lord Sey-
mour. In 1550 it was in the hands of John, Earl of
Warwick, eldest son of the Duke of Northumberland ; but
on his attainder in 1553 it again reverted to the Crown,
where it remained till 1563, when Queen Elizabeth regranted
it to the Earl's brother, Sir Ambrose Dudley, for life.
James I. gave the manor in 1624 to John Ramsay, Earl of
Holderness. John Ramsay, when a page attending James I.
at the house of Earl Gowry at Perth, had the good fortune
to discover and frustrate the attempt of the Earl and his
160 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
brother on the King's life. For this service he was created
Viscount Haddington, and afterwards Earl of Holderness.
In 1664 it was sold for -£ 1,500 to Reginald Grahame, who
in turn conveyed it to Admiral George Legge, afterwards
created Baron Dartmouth. As Admiral of the Fleet, he was
sent to demolish Tangier, and had a grant of £10,000 for his
services. His son, William, was in 1711 created Viscount
Lewisham and Earl of Dartmouth, and the property has
been ever since in the hands of his descendants.*
The land forming the present recreation-ground of 46^
acres was purchased under Parliamentary power in 1889 at
a cost of £21,880, to which the Lewisham District Board
contributed half. Two years later an addition of 3 acres
was made, being the net gain in an exchange with the
Shortlands and Nunhead Railway Company. In 1894 another
small addition of a quarter of an acre was made by the
acquisition of a plot of land on the east side of the Ravens-
bourne, near Lewisham Church.
Considerable works of improvement were necessary before
the ground could be suitable for a place of public recreation.
The lands were low-lying and subject to floods, with the
exception of the south-western portion, which is of fair
elevation and commands some good views. This flooding
was due to the peculiar nature of the river Ravensbourne,
which drains a watershed area above Ladywell Bridge of
about 30,000 acres, or nearly 47 square miles. The stream
is tortuous in its course, and in places the channel is
extremely confined, and quite inadequate to the proper dis-
charge of the water brought down from the drainage area
after excessive rainfall. As a consequence, the valley has
always been liable to floods of more or less severity.
Records of that of 1878 show that the low-lying lands here
must have been in parts 4 feet under water. Improvement
works, executed below Ladywell Bridge since that time,
have, however, mitigated the evil to some extent ; but it was
necessary, in order to secure a free and rapid discharge of
* Thorne, 'Environs of London,' vol. ii., p. 417.
LADYWELL RECREATION-GROUND
161
the flood waters, to cut off the sharp bends of the stream,
to enlarge the channel generally, and otherwise clear the
bed of its former obstructions. Several new cuts for the
channel were also made, and where the old bed was left
islands were formed and planted, thus adding considerable
attractiveness and picturesqueness to the ground. In dry
summers the river suffered from the opposite extreme,
The Source of the Ravensbourne, Keston Heath. (From an old woodcut.)
namely, an absence of water. To prevent the bed of the
river from becoming dry weirs were constructed of moderate
height, and the miniature waterfalls so formed have added
a decided charm to its appearance. Six rustic wooden
bridges have been thrown across the river, and the land
generally levelled and drained, in order to give the utmost
possibilities for recreation. What was formerly therefore a
mere swamp has been converted into a pleasant garden,
whilst the proximity of the river always insures a freshness
and brightness for the carpet of turf.
ii
162 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
The river Ravensbourne is probably the chief feature of
this open space. There is hardly a river in England with-
out some legendary history to spread a halo of romance
around it. The romance of the Ravensbourne lies in its
name, of which the following account is given. It is said
that Julius Caesar, on his invasion of Britain, was encamped
with all his force a few miles distant from its source. The
army was suffering a good deal from want of water, and
detachments had been sent out in all directions to find a
supply, but without success. Csesar, however, fortunately
observed that a raven frequently alighted near the camp,
and conjecturing that it came to drink, he ordered its arrival
to be carefully noted. This demand was obeyed, and the
visits of the raven were found to be to a small clear spring
on Keston Heath. The wants of the army were supplied,
and the spring and rivulet have ever since been called the
Raven's Well, and Ravensbourne.* Hasted, in his ' History
of Kent,' gives a view of the Roman entrenchments on
Holwood Hill, and figures the ancient road to the spring of
the Ravensbourne as running down to it from where Hol-
wood gates now stand ; he also figures the spring with
twelve trees planted round it.f The story is such a pretty
one that it would be too cruel to point out how unlikely
it is.
A good description of its course has been put into verse :
' On Keston Heath wells up the Ravensbourne,
A crystal rillet, scarce a palm in width,
Till creeping to a bed, outspread by art,
It sheets itself across, reposing there ;
Thence, through a thicket, sinuous it flows,
And crossing meads and footpaths, gath'ring tribute,
Due to its elder birth from younger branches,
Wanders in Hayes and Bromley, Beckenham Vale,
And straggling Lewisham, to where Deptford Bridge
Uprises in obeisance to its flood,
* Dew, 'History of Deptford,' p. 55.
f Hasted 'History of Kent,1 folio, vol. i., p. 129.
LADYWELL RECREATION-GROUND 163.
Whence, with large increase, it rolls on to swell
The master current of the "mighty heart "
Of England.'*
The Ravensbourne forms the east boundary of Deptford,.
and in 1849 it also became the boundary of the first Metro-
politan Commissioners of Sewers. The place where it empties
itself into the Thames is known as Deptford Creek, which
has played an important part in the history of Deptford.
The Danes in centuries ago had moored here, and it was to
this point that Sir Francis Drake returned after circumnavi-
gating the globe. The skeleton of his ship The Golden Hind,
was laid up in the creek by command of Queen Elizabeth,
where she had come herself before to visit Drake and knight
him on board his vessel. The ship was broken up shortly
afterwards, but a chair was made of the timber, and pre-
sented to Oxford University, where it is still preserved in the
Bodleian Library. t
The quiet and unpretending Ravensbourne is not without
its place in history. ' More than one tumultuous multitude
has encamped upon its banks, shouting loud defiance to
their lawful rulers. Blackheath, its near neighbour, was
overrun by Wat Tyler, and the angry thousands that
followed in his train ; and in the Ravensbourne, perchance,,
many of those worthy artisans stooped down to drink its
then limpid waters, when, inflamed by revenge and by the
hope of plunder and of absolute power, they prepared to
march on London. Jack Cade and his multitudes in their
turn encamped about the self-same spot ; and the Ravens-
bourne, after an interval of eighty years, saw its quiet shores
disturbed by men who met there for the same purposes, and
threatening bloodshed against the peaceful citizens of London,
because, feeling the scourge of oppression, they knew no
wiser means of obtaining relief, and were unable to distin-
guish between law and tyranny on the one hand, and freedom
and licentiousness on the other. 'J
* Hone, ' Table-book/ p. 642.
f Lysons, ' Environs of London,' vol. i., p. 466.
J Charles Mackay, ' The Thames and its Tributaries.'
II — 2
1 64 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Mills have existed on the Ravensbourne from very early
times. In the reign of Edward I. we find records relating
to the purchase of a sixth part of a mill in Lewisham.
These watermills were extremely valuable property, because
they were held to be free of tithe, and the lord of the manor
could compel all his feudal tenants to have their corn ground
at his mill, for which they paid toll. If, however, the lord
had leased his mill, he was entitled to have his own corn
ground free of charge.* Evelyn refers to one of these mills
in his diary under date April 28, 1688. ' To London, about
the purchase of the Ravensbourne mills and land round it in
Upper Deptford.' Lambarde, in his ' Perambulation of
Kent,' written in 1570, speaks of the ' Brooke called Ravens-
bourne, which riseth not farre off, and setting on woorke
somecorne milles, and one for the glasing of armour, slippeth
by this towne (Deptford) into the Thamyse.' John How,
an eminent cutler of Saffron Hill, and county magistrate, died
in 1737, leaving a fortune of £40,000 made from his cutlery
mill on the Ravensbourne. f It was converted into a flour-
mill, and afterwards taken down in 1865 for the introduction
of steam power. The foundations of some of the workmen's
houses were found to be composed of old grindstones.
At the north-west corner of the recreation-ground, from
which it is only separated by the Ravensbourne and its
churchyard wall, is the parish church of St. Mary, Lewisham.
Part of the glebe land of the vicarage was purchased for this
open space. The greater part of the present building dates
back to 1774, when the former church standing on this site
was taken down owing to its ruinous condition. The present
church is a plain oblong structure of stone, with a portico of
four Corinthian columns on the south side, and a tower, the
lower portion of which (erected between 1470 and 1512)
formed part of the old building. The chancel, which was
formerly a shallow semicircular recess, was enlarged to its
present size in 1882. An unfortunate fire which occurred in
* Kennett, * Parochial Antiquities,' p. 236.
t Hasted's ; History of Kent,' by Streatfield and Larking, edited by
H. H. Drake, p. 253.
LADYWELL RECREATION-GROUND
165
1830, through the overheating of the warming apparatus,
nearly destroyed the whole of the interior, and consumed
the earliest parish registers, dating from 1550.
In the churchyard is a monument to the unfortunate young
poet, Thomas Dermody, who was buried here July 20, 1802.
At the south-east of the recreation-ground there formerly
stood an old farm-house called Priory Farm, which marked
St. Mary's Church, Lewisham.
the site of the Priory of Lewisham to which we have already
referred. The farm-house was built partly with the old
material of the priory, and surrounded on nearly all sides by
the ancient moat, which was used for watering the farm
cattle until it was filled in when the house was pulled down,
about 1877. The Priory of Lewisham paid 405. a year to
the Abbey of Ghent as its superior.
1 66 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
MARYON PARK.
Maryon Park, the ' lung ' of Charlton, which is about
12 acres in extent, was presented to the London County
Council by the late Sir Spencer Maryon Maryon-Wilson, in
1891. It was the site of an old chalk or gravel pit, and in
the centre is a large mound, well covered with undergrowth,
locally known as Cox's Mount. From the plateau on the
top extensive views of the river can be obtained, whilst the
southern and western boundaries of the park are picturesque
high banks largely covered with brushwood. With the ex-
ception of the mound and banks referred to, the park is
maintained as a grass area on which lawn-tennis is played.
A handsome bandstand has been erected, upon which per-
formances are given once a week during the season, which
attract a very large number of children. After his first gift,
the late Sir Spencer generously presented sufficient ground
for the formation of a gymnasium for children, and for an
additional entrance from Woolwich Lower Road. The
name of the park was given to it at the request of the donor,
who opened it to the public on October 25, 1890. Since
this time over £4,000 has been spent upon various works
•connected with the park and its approaches.
Although the park abuts on Mount Street, Woolwich, it is
within the parish and manor of Charlton, of which the
Maryon-Wilson family are lords, as well as that of H amp-
stead. The Manor of Charlton was given by W7illiam I. to
his half-brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux ; from him it passed
to Robert Bloet, Bishop of Lincoln, who gave it, somewhere
about 1093, to the Priory of St. Saviour's, Bermondsey.
The Dissolution, which deprived so many of the monasteries
of their landed estates, resulted in the manor reverting to
the King, Henry VIII. Althpugh some leases were granted,
the fee remained in the possession of the Crown till James I.
granted it to one of his Northern adherents, John, Earl
of Mar. King James I. dates several of his warrants and
edicts from Charlton, and although there are twenty-one
MARYON PARK 167
other places of the same name in England, the Wilson family
religiously believe that he lived at Charlton House, their
family seat, where the ceiling of the principal saloon is
adorned with the royal arms of England. The manor was
then sold by the Earl of Mar in 1606 for £2,000 to Sir James
Erskine, who parted with it in the following year for £4,500
to Sir Adam Newton, who built the present manor-house
after the design of Inigo Jones, and also in great measure
rebuilt the church. This Sir Adam Newton is famous as having
been the tutor of Prince Henry, who died at the early age of
seventeen, when Sir Adam was entrusted with the education
of Prince Charles. His influence at Court gained him many
lucrative appointments, the best being that of Clerk of the
Council at a salary of £2,000 a year. In 1659 the manor
again changed hands, passing to Sir William Ducie, the
banker of Charles I., afterwards Viscount Downe, who died
here in 1679. By successive stages it passed through the
families of Sir John Conyers, Bart., William Langhorne-
Games, and then to the Rev. John Maryon, Rector of White
Roding, and finally by marriage to the WTilson family.* The
manor-house, Charlton House, built of red brick and stone,
is a fine example of the florid Jacobean type.
Maryon Park forms part of Hanging Wood, which has
been considerably curtailed in size. It originally stretched
from Woolwich Common to the Lower Road, Charlton, and
formed a secure retreat for the highwaymen who plied ^heir
trade on Shooter's Hill and Blackheath. The Assize Rolls
of the thirty-ninth year of Henry III. (A.D. 1255) contain a
reference to the ' wood of Woolwych,' and we may reasonably
suppose that Hanging Wood is the place referred to. It is
as follows : ' John, son of Henry Juventus, was found dead
without any mark upon him in the wood of Woolwych.
The first finder and the dead man's four next neighbours
were attached and not suspected. Verdict, mischance. '"|*
* Lysons, 'Environs of London,' vol. i:, part ii., pp. 431, 432.
t Quoted in Vincent's ' Records of the Woolwich District,' vol. ii.
p. 696.
1 68 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
The town of Woolwich was fined on this occasion for not
holding an inquest.
Hanging Wood would now be out of the way of travellers
on the main road ; but some years ago there was a road —
which is now extinct, or nearly so — leading from the cross-
roads at Shooter's Hill (near the present police-station) to
the Lower Road through the wood. This lane is thus
described by Lysons : * There are in Charlton about ninety
acres of woodland called Hanging Wood, belonging to the
lord of the manor, through which there is a very pleasant
walk to Woolwich. The wood, the variety of uneven
ground, and the occasional views of the river, contribute to
make the neighbourhood remarkably picturesque.'* A news-
paper extract of 1761 tells us that the right kind of hypericum
for the cure of worms grows wild in Charlton Wood, near
Woolwich.
In olden times the unhappy traveller through the wood
along this road would have run considerable risk of being
robbed by footpads. The following extracts from contem-
porary newspapers give us some idea of these ' good old
times.' Under 1732 we read : ' On Sunday morning the
Rev. Mr. Richardson, going from Lewisham to preach at
Woolwich, was attacked by a footpad in Hanging Wood,
who robbed him of a guinea (leaving him but twopence) and
then made off.' In January, 1762, it was recorded that
' several people have been robbed this week in Hanging
Wood, near Woolwich.' Once again, in 1782, ' Three men
robbed a boatswain of a man-of-war, near Hanging Wood,
of his watch and ten guineas, but some gentleman coming
up, they took to the wood.'f A more distinguished resident,
Lieutenant-General Sir William Congreve, who projected
and completed the Repository, was returning in his carriage
from London to Charlton, when he was attacked by two
footpads, who issued from a pit on the side of the road cross-
ing Blackheath, called the Devil's Punchbowl. He fired his
* Lysons, * Environs of London.' vol. i., part ii., p. 430.
t Quoted in Vincent's ' Records of the Woolwich District,' p. 697.
MARY ON PARK 169
pistol at his assailants, who fled after encountering this un-
expected opposition, and although they were tracked to
Hanging Wood, they succeeded in making their escape.
The Newgate Calendar records the trial of two highwaymen
who were pursued by the whole garrison of Woolwich, and
eventually captured in the wood, where they had imitated
the example of hunted foxes, and had gone to earth in an
old drain.*
The Ordnance map shows the ground to the immediate
south-west of Maryon Park as the site of an ancient Roman
camp. There is reason to suppose that the sites of all the
towns south of the river were occupied as villages, camps, or
fortifications by the succeeding conquerors of Britain. The
commanding position of this portion of the wood would
certainly be a favourable one from a military point of view,
and there are sure proofs of the site having been occupied as a
fortified camp. Other portions of Hanging Wood have similar,
though less apparent, indications of these fortified camps.
The present appearance of Maryon Park, with its central
eminence, was probably caused by the excavation of sand,
for which the whole of this district has been famous.
This used to be in great request for the sanding of the
parlour floors before carpets became the fashion, and also
for use in engineering foundries. An extract from a letter
of 1762 states : ' The captain, contrary to his intention or
desire, being obliged to call at Woolwich, we walked thither.
. . . Having spent ye evening very temperately, con-
sidering the manner of such partings, we went on board the
captain's six-oared boat at ye west end of the yard, where
almost all ye sand used by the housewives of London is put
on board barges from carts, which bring it down from ye
neighbouring hill.'f The site of the park, including the
whole of Mount Street extending to the old Toll Gate, was
known as the Charlton Sandpits. These were worked for
many years by a person of the name of Blight.
* Vincent, * Records of the Woolwich District,' p. 413.
f Quoted in Vincent's 'Records of the Woolwich District,' p. 23.
170 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
The area of the park is too restricted to allow of cricket
being played, with the one exception in favour of the boys
of the training-ship Warspite, which lies at anchor in the
Thames off Charlton. This was made one of the conditions
in the deed of gift. A peculiar interest attaches to this
man-of-war, chiefly centering around the figure-head of the
old craft. This is a carved representation of the Duke of
Wellington, which was appropriately affixed to the ship
when she bore her first name of Waterloo. She had been
specially fitted at no small expense to go out as flagship of
the Mediterranean squadron in 1852, but at the last moment
Cox's Mount, Mary on Park.
the British Cabinet intervened, and put pressure on the
Admiralty to keep back the Waterloo and send out another
ship in her place. It was just after the coup d'etat in France,
and it was thought in high quarters that the name of
Waterloo might hurt the feelings of the new master of
France, Louis Napoleon. So the Waterloo remained in
home waters, and was rechristened the Conqueror some time
afterwards in a very quiet way ; but it was not unnoticed,
for a protest was raised against it in the very quarter where
it was desired to avoid offence. The French naval Attache
to England, the story goes, on learning of the change of
MARYON PARK 171
name, angrily took exception to it. ' Waterloo ! Conqueror /'
he declared — ' Conqueror ! Mon Dieu ! zat is ten tousand
time varse!' The second name of the ship had to stand,
however, and the selection was somehow explained away.
When the Conqueror became a boys' school ship she took
over the name Warspite from her predecessor at Charlton,
the old Warspite of 1807, which had been allotted to the
Marine Society in the first place for their institution.*
The highest part of Maryon Park, viz., the Mount, was
formerly used as a semaphore-station in connection with
that at Shooter's Hill. This mound and its approaches
were rented in 1838 from the Lord of the Manor by a gentle-
man named Cox, who resided at No. 5, Charlton Terrace,
for the purposes of cultivation and recreation. He planted
the mound round with poplars, and built a large summer-
house in the centre where he entertained his friends. It
thus acquired its local name of Cox's Mount, which it has
retained to the present day. At the time when the mound
was leased the whole of the land in the rear of Charlton
Terrace to the main Charlton road was occupied for agricul-
tural purposes.
In addition to being used as a semaphore-station, the
mound was rented in 1850 by the Admiralty for the purpose
of adjusting ships' compasses. Ten years later they removed
their station to the Maryon Road, and built a small observa-
tory for this object.
When the park was being laid out, the workmen came
across the foundation of an old kiln in levelling the ground
at the base of the mound. This was one of several kilns
formerly used for burning red bricks, a large quantity of
which were made here. A deep well was sunk by the late
Lord of the Manor near the site of the present lodge in order
to obtain water to make these bricks.
* Daily Graphic, April 16, 1895.
CHAPTER IX.
MYATTS FIELDS— PECKHAM RYE—PECKHAM RYE PARK
—GOOSE GREEN— NUN HE AD GREEN.
MYATT'S FIELDS.
THE park known by this name consists of 14! .acres
of land situate near Camberwell New Road
Station. One of the first things to be recorded
on the minutes of the newly - formed London
County Council in 1889 was the receipt through the Metro-
politan Public Gardens Association of an offer of this park,
which had been laid out, and was ready for opening. The
name of this generous donor was Mr. William Minet, the
owner of this and adjoining land, who has been a good
friend in other ways to this neighbourhood. Two other
tokens of his generosity exist close by — the Minet Free
Library and a parochial hall on the opposite corner of the
road for the Church of St. James, Camberwell.
The first offer of the ground was made to the Metropolitan
Board of Works, who had not then gone out of office, and
it was arranged that the park should be taken over when
laid out. This the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association
undertook to do, but the cost was found to be beyond their
means, and so the balance was found from other sources.
Before this was completed the London County Council had
come into power, and so inherited the offer which had been
made to their predecessors.
The park lies a little below the level of Knatchbull Roadr
MYATTS FIELDS i?3
from which it is separated by an open wrought-iron railing,
with massive and artistic gates, which are a decided orna-
ment to the park. The principal entrance is through a
porch attached to the superintendent's lodge, something
after the style of a country lych-gate. The park is tastefully
laid out with gravelled walks, flower - beds, and grass
enclosures, which are large enough to provide room for
several tennis-courts. A portion of the ground is used as a
gymnasium for boys and girls, the remainder of the buildings
comprising a large circular shelter, a bandstand, and the
necessary green-houses for the raising of the flowers for
•decoration.
The history of Myatt's Fields has been very uneventful.
It is one of the few places which Pepys has not mentioned
in his diary, and which has never been honoured with a
visit from Queen Elizabeth. And yet its name is familiar
all over London as the place where some of the finest straw-
berries have been grown which have found their way to
Covent Garden Market. These were grown by a celebrated
market-gardener of the name of Myatt, who was a tenant
of this land from about 1818 to 1869, and in addition to the
famous strawberries raised some particularly fine rhubarb
here. During his long tenancy the land he occupied came
to be generally known as Myatt's Fields, and the name was
so general in the neighbourhood that it was perpetuated by
being given to the park which covers the site of his
holding.
The site of the park is a portion of an estate originally con-
sisting of some 109 acres, purchased in accordance with the
provisions of the will of the Right Hon. Thomas Wyndham,
Baron Wyndham of Finglass, Ireland, a former Lord High
Chancellor of Ireland. Baron Wyndham never married,
and when he died in 1745 he bequeathed the residue of his
personal estate to Sir Wyndham Knatchbull (who subse-
quently took the surname of Wyndham) and to other
trustees, to be laid out in the purchase of lands in Great
Britain. The directions of the will were not carried into
174
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
effect for some time owing to a Chancery suit which was
instituted in connection with some of its provisions. In the
meantime, Sir W. K. Wyndham (fifth Baronet), the first
beneficiary under the bequest, died in 1749, having purchased
Myatt's Fields Bandstand.
the Camberwell estate in that year. His son, who inherited
the property, conveyed it to the trustees of Baron Wynd-
ham's will, and being able to bar the entail, he did so by a
recovery in 1762. Upon his death in the following year, the
lands were devised to his uncle, Sir Edward Knatchbull
MY ATT S FIELDS 17$
(Wyndham) for an estate tail. This owner again barred
the entail by a recovery dated 1764. By this deed, however,
he reserved to himself the right to revoke the trusts, and
appoint others, a power he exercised in 1768, when he
mortgaged the property to Thomas Blackmore, of Briggins,
Herts. Two years later, in 1770, the estate was conveyed
to Hughes Minet, the mortgages being paid off out of the
purchase-money. The property has remained in the Minet
family ever since.
Some of the history of the Minet family is retained in the
naming of two of the adjacent roads, from which there are
entrances to the park. The earliest known member of the
family was Ambroise Minet (1605 — 1675), who was born at
Cormont, near Boulogne. He subsequently removed to
Calais, and, according to his son's life of him, he ' keept
shopp of grocery, druggs, licors,' and built up a considerable
business. His son was one of those persecuted Huguenots
who were forced to flee from France upon the revocation of
the Edict of Nantes.* From these two French towns, which
have played so important a part in the family history, we
have Cormont Road and Calais Street, The persecution of
the Huguenots has resulted in many lasting benefits to
England, and Camberwell certainly has received its full
share from the hands of the Minet family.
Having now considered the various owners of this estate,
it may be interesting to follow its development from the time
when it was a farm held under one lease to the present day,
when it is a busy colony and an integral part of this mighty
London. The property is described in a lease of 1767 as
'•all that messuage and tenement and the barn, yard, stables,
outhouses, sheds, and other buildings, and all those several
pieces or parcells of land arable, meadow or pasture, to the
same belonging, containing in the whole, by estimation, one
hundred and eight acres.' The principal farm-house and
outbuildings stood on the triangular peninsula lying between
* ' Huguenot Family of Minet,' by William Minet, M.A., F.S.A., of the
Inner Temple.
1 76 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Camberwell Green, Camberwell New Road (which did not
then exist), and the footway which still connects Camberwell
Green with Camberwell New Road. The main portion of
the farm extended to the south-west of the farm building as
far as the house now known as 62, Knatchbull Road.
Through the farm ran a road as far as where the public
library now stands. This road, which was formerly known
as Myatt's Road, was continued on later, and is now called
Knatchbull Road, after the former owners of the estate.
South of the main farm in Coldharbour Lane were three
outlying fields, which were sold in 1872 as a site for a convict
prison ; but the project met with so much opposition that it
was never carried out.
The first beginning of building on the estate may be dated
from the making of the Camberwell New Road in 1819, when
part of the property, which was occupied as a stone-mason's
yard, was assigned to the trustees of the Surrey and Sussex
roads for that purpose. This new road passed close behind
the farm-house, which, together with its out-buildings, dis-
appeared early in 1819, and a short time after its place was
taken by the houses now known as Nos. 7 to 14, CamberweM
Green. The oldest house on the estate dates back to 1815,
and stands near the corner of Clarendon Place, on land still
used as nursery ground. The opening of the Camberwell
New Road provided a large amount of frontage, and it was
here accordingly that such building as there was took place.
In 1824 and the following year a large number of houses
were built, and then for sixteen years nothing more was
done. From 1841 building seems to have gone on, though
slowly, until 1856, and bricks and mortar swallowed up the
fields of strawberries and rhubarb.*
PECKHAM RYE PARK.
Under this heading are included four distinct places —
Peckham Rye proper, 64 acres ; the park, 49 acres ; Goose
* These particulars are taken from a manuscript history of the estate
by William Minet, M-.A., F.S.A.
PECKHAM RYE PARK 177
Green, 6J acres; and Nunhead Green, ij acres. They form
the greater part of the open spaces of Camberwell, the
largest parish in the Metropolis. The Rye has been used
as a recreation-ground from ' time immemorial,' and to give
some definiteness to this expansive term, we find that mention
is made of Peckham Rye in documents of the fourteenth
century. A large portion of what was formerly common land
has been appropriated to private use and has been built over.
A curious discovery was made some years ago which proves
this to some extent. A Mr. Weller, who purchased the
freehold of the Rectory Nursery or Farm in the Crystal Palace
Road, had occasion, soon after taking possession, to take up
the stumps of some lime-trees in the corner of the land, in
doing which he unearthed a large stone, the top of which
had been broken off; but with this exception it was in a
good state of preservation. The inscription on the stone,
which was still clear, showed that it had been placed there
in 1616 to mark the boundary of the land. It is very
probable, then, that the common land in past centuries
reached as far as this Rectory Farm, including Goose Green
as part of the common, and that it spread on the opposite
side of the green to the place where the church now stands.
St. John's Vicarage occupies the site of the old farm-house.
At one time Peckham Rye was covered with trees, and inter-
sected with watercourses in which watercress abounded, so
that the physical features as well as the area have undergone
considerable change.
There has been a good fight to maintain the people's
rights in Peckham Rye. As far back as 1766, and again in
1789, protests were made by the parishioners (which were
duly recorded in the vestry minutes) against encroachments
on the common land. Great difficulty was experienced
before 1869 in preventing the Rye from being privately
appropriated. Before this time the Lord of the Manor had
granted to a few of the inhabitants in the vicinity leases for
twenty-one years, which expired in December, 1866. These
lessees usually expended some £100 yearly upon the main-
12
1 78 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
tenance of the land, part of which amount was contributed
by the local residents. But with the limited power they
possessed, they could not prevent objectionable invasions
from time to time. In 1864 thirty-two vans of ' WombwelPs
wild beast show ' held possession for some time, and this,
together with similar misuses, resulted in a meeting of the
inhabitants being held the next year to consider the best
means to be adopted to prevent building upon the Rye.*
The matter was taken up in Parliament, and the deputy-
steward of the Lord of the Manor claimed for him before the
Committee of the House of Commons, the absolute owner-
ship of the Rye, and asserted that he was entitled to the full
building value of the land, there being at that time no copy-
holders. Evidence to the exact contrary of this was given
by the inhabitants, and in 1868 the rights of the Lord of the
Manor, whatever they were, were purchased by the Camber-
well Vestry. In 1882 the fee simple of Peckham Rye, Nun-
head and Goose Greens was acquired from the vestry by the
late Metropolitan Board of Works for £1,000. Thus these
three open spaces have been secured for the public for
ever.
The Rye is very popular with South Londoners — in fact,
so much is it patronized for games of all kinds that for many
months in the year the greater portion is quite bare of any
turf. The performances at the bandstand with its tar-paved
promenade attract many thousands of all classes. It was
this crowded state of the common, with the attendant
dangers from the many playing cricket and football in a
confined space, that led the Peckhamites to look round for
some extension of their ground for recreation. It was par-
ticularly fortunate for them that the owners of the adjoining
Homestall Farm were willing to sell land for the purpose of
enlarging the common at £1,000 per acre. A committee was
formed to try and acquire the land, and after some years of
hard work they had the satisfaction of seeing their efforts
crowned with success. The cost of the park may be put
* Blanch, ' Camerwell,' p. 353.
PECKHAM RYE PARK
179
down at £51,000, to which the Camberwell Vestry con-
tributed £20,000, the London County Council £18,000, the
Charity Commissioners £12,000, Lambeth Vestry £500, and
St. Mary, Newington, and St. George the Martyr, South-
The Fountain and Rivulet, Peckliam Rye Park.
wark, £250 each. An additional £7,500 was spent in adapt-
ing the land to the requirements of a public park, which
was opened on Whit-Monday, 1894. The park is well
wooded, especially the portion which the vendors have re-
12 — 2
i8o OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
leased from the London County Council for a period of
ninety-nine years from March, 1892. In a secluded hollow
delightfully shaded with trees a lake has been made. It has
an island in the centre, and is fed by a small watercourse
running through the grounds, which has been formed into
a number of pools by artificial dams. This rivulet has its
source in a fountain springing out of rockwork, and thence
meanders through the park, receiving some life when babbling
over some miniature waterfalls before its entrance to the
lake. A veritable lovers' walk has been formed through the
glade on the north side of the tennis-lawns. It runs through
a wide belt of closely-planted trees, whose branches form a
leafy arch, with a luxuriant undergrowth, thus affording a
cool and shady retreat during the hottest time of the summer.
In the spring it is gay with a variety of wild-flowers, daffodils,
anemones, bluebells, and primroses, all adding their colour
to the bright pattern. The avenue through Homestall
Farm is also a favourite walk, affording good views of this
portion of the park. Ample space is provided for games,
2 acres being set apart for tennis (the ground for which
is arranged in a series of terraces), 12 acres for cricket, and
loj for the two children's playgrounds. These latter are
situated on sloping ground facing the west, and are particu-
larly suitable for the purpose, as they are sheltered from
the wind by the thickly-wooded grounds surrounding this
portion.
The quaint wooden farm-house known as Homestall
Farm, with its out-buildings, is quite 200 years old. It
seems to be the last of the many farms which once sur-
rounded the Rye. The soil must have been particularly
adapted for farming, for there was a time when this part of
Peckham used to furnish melons fit for the King's table.
The old barn, which is exceedingly picturesque with its
red -tiled roof, was very probably used by smugglers to
store away contraband goods, and the old elm - trees
round it which remain must be at least 150 years old.
These, it is surmised, were planted to conceal certain
PECKHAM RYE PARK 181
unlawful kegs which were brought across an old circuitous
path, now stopped up, leading across the common to the
farm. At one time the chief inhabitants of the barn were
owls, but they have entirely disappeared now. The stag's
head and antlers which grace its front are fit emblems for
this ancient structure, taking us back to the time when Kings
used to come to Peckham to hunt the stags in the woods
which then covered this spot. A portion of the wood still
remained at the beginning of the present century, for we
find that a well-known colonial broker named Kymer rented
it for pheasant-shooting. Curiously enough, a pheasant
may occasionally be seen in the park, though it is doubtful
whether it has any connection with the former denizens of
the wood.*
Turning our attention now to the manorial history, we
find that the parish of Camberwell formerly comprised one
manor only, which was held of Edward the Confessor by
Norman, and of William the Conqueror by Haimo. The
translation of the Doomsday entry runs as follows : ' The
land of Haimo, the Viscount or Sheriff. In Brixton Hundred.
Haimo himself holds Ca'brewelle. Norman held it of King
Edward. It was then taxed for 12 hides. Now for 6 hides
and i virgate. There are 5 caracutes of arable land. Two
are in demesne ; and there are 22 villanes, and 7 bordars,
with 6 caracutes. There is a church, and there are 63 acres
of meadow. The wood yields food for 60 swine. In the
time of King Edward it was valued at £12, afterwards at £6,
and now at £14. 't There is a separate entry for Peckham,
from which it appears that Peckham was part of the Manor
of Battersea. ' The Bishop of Lisieux holds of (Odo) the
Bishop (of Bayeux) Pecheha' which Alfled held of Herald,
in the time of King Edward, when it was included in
Patricesy (Battersea). 'I
Soon after the Conquest the parish was divided, and
* Communicated by the late Mr. Stevens, the lessee of Homestall
Farm.
t Allport, ' Camberwell,' pp. 47, 48. i Ibid., p. 49.
182 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
became several distinct manors. Peckham Rye formed
part of two of these — Camberwell Buckingham and Camber-
well Friern.
Camberwell Buckingham. — -This manor, sometimes called
Camberwell and Peckham, was held direct from the King
by Robert, Earl of -Gloucester, and natural son of Henry I.,
who had probably received it from his father. For many
subsequent generations it was in the hands of the Clares
and Audleys, Earls of Gloucester. Margaret, the daughter
and heir of Hugh, Earl of Gloucester, who had died in 1347,
married Ralph, the first Earl of Stafford, from whom the
estate descended to Edward, Duke of Buckingham. He
was beheaded in 1521, but ever since this time the manor
has been known by the name of ^Camberwell Buckingham.
A tenant of the Duke's, John Scott, who was Baron of the
Exchequer in 1529, then obtained a grant of the manor, and
it remained in his family till the death of his grandson,
Richard Scott, who devised it by will to his five sons.
Edgar, one of these, sold his share in 1583 to Edmund
Bowyer, from whom it descended to Sir Edmund Bowyer
Smyth. The remainder of the estate was purchased by the
Cock family. Mrs. Johana Cock was ruined by the South
Sea scheme, and the lands were sold under a decree of
Chancery in 1776. Two-thirds of this portion were bought
by Messrs. John and S. Halliday, and still remain in that
family. The other third was purchased by Dr. J. C. Lett-
som, whose representative sold it in 1812 to William
Whitton, from whom it was afterwards acquired by Sir
Edmund Bowyer Smith, so that the two portions became
reunited in the same owner.*
Camberwell Friern. — This manor appears to have been
formed out of lands granted by Robert, Earl of Gloucester.
The Earl gave 100 acres of his wood at Camberwell to
Robert de Rothomago, who grubbed it up, and then pre-
sented the land to the Priory of Halliwell in Middlesex.
Another grant was subsequently made to Reginald de Pointz,
* Allport, ' Camberwell/ pp. 51, 52.
PECKHAM RYE PARK
183
who in turn gave or exchanged part to this same priory,
leaving the remainder to his four nephews. One of these,
Nicholas Pointz, made a further donation of 10 acres to
the priory, and afterwards sold them some more. These
successive gifts of land made up the Manor of Camberwell
Friern. After the dissolution of the monasteries, the manor
was granted July 21, 36 Henry VIII. , to Robert Draper,
his wife and heirs. This owner was page of the Jewel Office
The Avenue, Peckham Rye Park.
to Henry VI II., and he had other property in Camberwell.
It afterwards passed to his son Mathye, but a question as
to his title was raised in 10 Elizabeth, when he and his wife
were called upon to show by what right they held the manor.
He established his claim to the manor, which at that time
consisted of 4 messuages, 56 acres of land, 24 of meadow,
and ii of wood in Camberwell and Dulwich. He died
without issue, but before his death he conveyed the manor
to Sir Edmund Bowyer, whose mother Elizabeth was his
1 84 OPEAT SPACES OF LONDON
youngest sister. From this owner it passed by marriage to
Sir Edward Bowyer Smyth.*
We thus see that the two manors, of which the Rye forms
part, after passing through many hands, eventually return
to the same owner. The manor-house of the Friern Manor
was at the south-west of the Rye. Its memory is retained
in the names Manor Road, Friern Road, and Friern Place,
and it is very probable that Lordship Lane takes its name
from the lordship of Friern Manor. Of recent times Friern
Manor Farm-house has been known as a dairy farm on a
large scale. The farm-house, with its sheds and outbuildings,
was sold in about 200 lots in December, 1873. This house,
which was not the original one, was built by Lord St. John
in 1725, and there is a tradition that Alexander Pope resided
here for a time, and wrote some part, if not the whole, of
his ' Essay on Man ' beneath its roof.
The derivation of the word * Peckham ' is involved in some
obscurity. To quote the words of Mr. Blanch : ' It certainly
is not that which its name at first implies — the village on
the hill.' We have seen that in the Doomsday Book the
place is called * Pecheha,' which in all probability was an
incorrect description. One theory is that the village of
Peckham took its name from its proximity to the hills now
known as Forest Hill and Honor Oak Hill, for Peckham
Rye is mentioned in documents of great antiquity, and the
little ham or village under the shadow of the hills above
mentioned was evidently a place of some little importance
at the time of William the Conqueror.
The word ' Rye,' assuming the above theory to be correct,
would then be traced to the Welsh rhyn, a projecting piece
of land, and Peckham would be the village under the rhyn
or rye. But in all probability the Rye took its name from a
watercourse or river, for before the Roman invasion and the
embankment of the Thames the country surrounding the
Rye was no doubt partly submerged, and streams more or
less rapid abounded.'!' Peckham Rye is associated with at
* Allport, ' Camberwell,' p. 55. t Blanch, ' Camerwell,' p. 91.
PECKHAM RYE PARK 185
least one literary name. At one time Tom Hood, the well-
known author of ' The Song of the Shirt,' lived in a house
overlooking the lake on the Rye.*
At the extreme south of the park rises Honor Oak Hill,
which tradition links with the name of Queen Elizabeth.
It is called on Rocque's map the ' Oak of Arnon,' which
is probably a mistake for Oak of Honour, now corrupted
to Honor Oak. It is said to have received this name because
the good Queen Bess lunched under its shade when return-
ing from one of her excursions to Greenwich. In the
Chamberlain's papers for 1602 is the following entry : ' On
May Day the Queen (Elizabeth) went a-Maying to Sir
Richard Buckley's at Lewisham, some three or four miles off
Greenwich.' This house is supposed to have been on the
Sydenham side of Lewisham, and it is probable that this
is the occasion on which she visited Honor Oak. We must
mention another interesting ceremony in connection with
this place. On the occasion of beating the bounds in former
times, it was customary for those assembled to join in
singing Psalm civ. under the shadow of the Oak of Honour
HilLf
The original oak, which is thus said to have been favoured
by Royalty, has been blown down, but a successor has been
planted to uphold the dignity of the tradition.
At the extreme north-east of the Rye, Heaton Road and
the Heaton public-house bring back the memory of a build-
ing called Heaton's Folly, which once stood on this site.
It was capped with a lofty square tower, giving the building
the appearance of a religious edifice. Lysons, writing in
1796, gives the following account of it : * On the right side
of the path leading from Peckham to Nunhead appears this
building, environed with wood. It has a singular appearance,
and certainly was the effect of a whim. Various tales are
related of its founder; but the most feasible appears his
desire of giving employment to a number of artificers during
a severe dearth. It is related that he employed 500 persons
* Blanch, ' Camerwell,' p. 356. t Ibid., p. 157.
1 86
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
in this building, and adding to the grounds, which is by no
means improbable, as, on entering the premises, a very
extensive piece of water appears, embanked,' as he quaintly
says, * by the properties taken from its bosom. In the
centre of it is an island, well cultivated ; indeed, the whole
.ground is now so luxuriantly spread, that I much doubt if
Heatoris Folly in 1804.
such another spot, within a considerable distance from the
Metropolis, can boast such a variety and significance. The
whole is within a fence, and time having assisted the maturity
of the coppice, you are, to appearance, enjoying the effects
of a small lake in the centre of a wood. Motives the most
laudable, as before observed, induced the founder of this
sequestered spot to give bread to many half-starved and
PECKHAM RYE PARK 187
wretched families, and to use the phrase of our immortal
Shakespeare, "It is like the dew from heaven, and doubly
blesses." If from appearance we are to judge of the place,
it thrives indeed, and what was meant as assistance to a
neighbouring poor, and stragglers, wretched and forlorn, is
now, with all propriety, the Paradise of Peckham.'* The
building and grounds upon which this eulogium is lavished
have now entirely disappeared, and the ' paradise ' is covered
with bricks and mortar.
Peckham Fair is a very old institution, and several different
versions are current to. account for its establishment. One
of these says that King John, hunting in the woods at Peck-
ham, killed a stag, and was so pleased with the sport that
he granted the inhabitants an annual fair to continue for
three weeks. The only drawback to the acceptation of this
theory is that no charter to this effect has been found.
Another version gives the credit to Nell Gwynne, who asked
this favour from the Merry Monarch on his return from a
day's sport in the neighbourhood to the mansion of Sir
Thomas Bond, who was a great favourite of his. At one of
the inquiries which was held, evidence was given that the
fair had been held in 1715. Whatever the origin, it is certain
that early in the last century it had grown into such import-
ance as to originate the proverb, ' All holiday at Peckham.'
On May 8, 1823, a vestry of the parish was called for the
purpose of inquiring whether the fairs of Camberwell and
Peckham were authorized by any grant, charter, prescription,
or other lawful or sufficient authority, in order if practicable
to their suppression ; but no settlement of the question
appears to have been effected. On August i, 1827, a meet-
ing of the local magistrates took place at the committee-
room, Camberwell Workhouse, with regard to Peckham Fair,
at which summonses were issued to the representatives of the
various Lords of the Manor, directing them to appear at the
same place on the nth, which they did by their attorney,
who admitted that he could not show cause for the con-
* Lysons, ' Environs of London.'
1 88 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
tinuance of the fair; and it was accordingly declared un-
lawful.*
A short walk from the Rye down Nunhead Lane brings us
to Nunhead Green, no longer green, although it retains its
old name, for it has been found necessary to tar-pave it, and
it thus forms a convenient playground for children. Nun-
head is now a very different place to what it was fifty years
ago, when the tea-gardens of the Nun's Head (from which
the district takes its name) were in their prime. These have
been an institution in the locality for more than 200 years.
Nunhead Hill is mentioned by Hone in his * Every-day
Book ' (1827) as being ' the favourite resort of smoke-dried
London artisans.' Facing the green is the Asylum of the
Metropolitan Beer and Wine Trade Association, inscribed
with their motto ' Live and Let Live.' The seven cottages
forming the asylum make a compact building, each tenement
having four rooms and a kitchen, with a plot of garden-
ground in the rear. The centre one contains three rooms for
the use of the warden, and in addition a large committee and
waiting rooms. Its institution dates back to 1851, when a
subscription-list was opened at the general meeting of the
society. The freehold ' of the site was purchased for £578,
and the buildings, with fittings, cost another £2,500. The
first stone was laid by Lord Monteagle (a patron of the
society) on June 9, 1852, and the first inmates, numbering
thirteen, were admitted in September, 1853. There is an
allowance made weekly to the inmates of 6s. to the single
ones, and gs. for married couples. A new wing called
Albion Terrace was added in 1872, consisting of eight six-
roomed houses, which are capable of accommodating sixteen
more pensioners. t
The Pyrotechnists' Arms public-house at another corner of
the green is an outcome of one of the staple industries of
Nunhead — firework-making. Mr. Brock, the great pyrotech-
nist of the Crystal Palace, has large workshops here, where
many hands are employed in making these popular toys.
* Allport, ' Camberwell,' pp. 86-89. f Blanch, « Camerwell,' p. 275.
PECKHAM RYE PARK 189
The other piece of common land included in the purchase
of Peckham Rye is Goose Green, which was a part of the
Manor of Camberwell Friern. It possesses no rusticity
beyond its name, although not many years since it was a
village green surrounded by a few cottages, and the farm-
house we have before referred to. The geese, who were then
the principal frequenters of the green, have disappeared,
although they have left their name. Overlooking the green
are the Dulwich Public Baths, which reminds us that we are
living in the nineteenth century. On the opposite side is the
church of St. John the Evangelist, East Dulwich, built in
1865 from the designs of Mr. C. Bailey at a cost of £8,000.
It is in the Early English style, and forms a very picturesque
feature with its broached tiled spire, recalling to mind the
village churches of Surrey and Sussex.
CHAPTER X.
SOUTHWARK PARK — NELSON RECREATION-GROUND -
NE WINGTON RECREA TION-GRO UND— WA L WORTH
RECREATION-GROUND.
SOUTHWARK PARK.
SOUTHWARK PARK, of 63 acres, is situated in
Rotherhithe, immediately west of the Surrey Com-
mercial Docks, with the whole of Bermondsey
between it and Southwark. Its name, therefore, is
as unfortunate as that of Finsbury Park, but the same excuse
may be given in justification, viz., that it was primarily
intended for the inhabitants of the old Parliamentary borough
of Southwark, within the boundaries of which it was situated.
There was formerly a Southwark Park entitled to the name
which was an appendage to Suffolk House in Southwark.
This was a part of the King's manor, and was specially
exempted from the grant of the borough of Southwark to the
city of London in the charter of Edward VI.*
The late Metropolitan Board of Works, impressed with
the importance of securing some place of recreation for the
densely-populated portion of the Metropolis along the southern
side of the river Thames, proceeded in 1864 to obtain from
Parliament the necessary powers for the formation of a park.
About 63 acres of land, then used as market-gardens, were
selected as a suitable site, and the Bill passed through both
* Wheatley and Cunningham, * London : Past and Present,' vol. iii.r
p. 288.
SOUTHWARK PARK 191
Houses of Parliament without opposition, and received the
Royal assent on April 28, 1864. The negotiations for the
purchase of the freehold were difficult and prolonged, but
were at length concluded in 1865 ; afterwards, the claims for
the yearly tenancies and other minor interests had to be
settled, and possession of the whole property obtained.
After the park had been laid out and enclosed, it was at
length opened to the public on June 19, 1869. The park has
proved an undoubted boon to the inhabitants of the crowded
parishes of Southwark, Rotherhithe, and Bermondsey. At
the time of the formation of the park, the greater portion of
the land in this district consisted of fields and market-gardens.
Although these are fast disappearing, some still exist in the
neighbourhood of Rotherhithe and Deptford. The network
of docks, and the consequent difficulty of communication, has
in some measure accounted for the less rapid development of
Rotherhithe as compared with its crowded neighbour South-
wark.
The park boasts of a good cricket-field called the Oval, which,
it is hardly necessary to say, is not the Oval, the home of the
Surrey County Club at Kennington. However, Southwark
Park has turned out several good players who have become
famous in county cricket, notably ' Bobby ' Abel, Surrey's
crack batsman. The other features in the laying-out com-
prise an ornamental lake, an entrance lodge, and a handsome
bandstand, purchased from the Exhibition grounds at South
Kensington, together with the usual sprinkling of flower-beds
interspersed with shrubberies and trees. The lake was not
part of the original scheme, but was subsequently added at a
cost of about £2,000. It is too small to admit of boating,
but it is available in winter for skating, and in the summer-
time the water-fowl, of which there are a good selection,
seem a constant attraction. Two of the mounds near the
entrance from Jamaica Level were formed from some of the
earth excavated from the bed of the river in the construction
of the Thames Tunnel.* A small decorative house is avail-
* ' Old and New London, vol. vi., p. 136.
192
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
able as a winter-garden where flowers can be exhibited during
the cold months. This is also used for the annual show of
chrysanthemums, which thrive remarkably well in this
atmosphere, which is admitted to be unfavourable for plant-
life. It was originally intended, when the park was laid out,
to reserve a portion for building purposes, as in the case of
Finsbury and Victoria Parks. But here again great opposition
was made to the proposal, with a result that it was abandoned.
Entrance and Superintendent's Lodge, Sonthwark Park.
The carriage-roads formed in the park were broken up and
converted into tar-paved footpaths, leaving only one road,
viz., that straight across the park from Bermondsey to
Eotherhithe, which is left open till midnight.
Beyond the trees in the park can be seen a regular forest
of masts belonging to the ships in the adjacent docks. It is
worthy of mention that the first commercial docks in London
were constructed in Rotherhithe, their origination dating
back to about 1660, nearly 150 years before the establish-
ment of the adjoining naval dockyard of Deptford.
SOUTHWARK PARK 193
The first dock established here was a dry one, belonging
to the Rowland family. Parliamentary power was obtained
in 1696 to build a wet dock, which was completed in 1700,
and called the Great Dock. In 1725 the South Sea Company
took a lease of the dock, intending to revive the Greenland
fishery ; it was then called the Greenland Dock. This dock
was sold by the Duke of Bedford (the representative of the
Rowland family) in 1763 to Messrs. John and William Wells,
to whom it belonged for .many years : they afterwards sold it
to Mr. W. Ritchie, from whom it was purchased in 1807 by
the dock company. The docks are at present chiefly used
for the timber trade.
In the Union Road, opposite the park gate, is situated
Christ Church, Rotherhithe, a plain brick structure, erected
about 1840. On the external wall is a tablet to the memory
of Field- Marshal Sir William Maynard Gomm, G.C.B.,
Lord of the Manor of Rotherhithe, Constable of the Tower
of London, who died March 15, 1875, aged ninety, and from
whom the greater portion of the land for the formation of the
park was purchased. Gomm Road, on the east side of the
park, is named after him.
A few words regarding Rotherhithe, in which, as we have
mentioned, the park is situated, may be of interest. The
earliest mention of the place is in a charter dating back to
898, in which it is called ' Aetheredes hyd.' Strangely
enough, it is not mentioned in Doomsday Book, from which
it is conjectured that it was formerly only a hamlet in
Bermondsey.* As a separate manor, we find that it was
granted in the reign of Richard II., with his permission,
by the Abbot of Graces to the Priory of St. Mary Magdalen,
Bermondsey. This ancient abbey was situated where the
present St. Mary Magdalen Church stands, and existed in
Saxon times when it was surrounded by meadows and wood-
land. At the time of the grant to the abbey, the manor was
valued at £20. Among other owners of the manor we may
* Wheatley and Cunningham, ' London : Past and Present,' vol. iii.,
p. 174.
13
i94 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
mention James Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, in whose possession
it was in 1668.
Various interpretations are given of the name Rotherhithe.
The last part of the word, of course, means haven, or harbour.
* Rother ' is explained by some as meaning red rose, so
called from some sign of that name. Others prefer to derive
it from a Saxon word meaning sailor, so that Rotherhithe
is the sailor's haven. By the seventeenth century the name
had become corrupted into Redriff. - Philip Henslowe informs
us in his diary that he sent his horses ' to grasse in Redreffe '
at a charge in 1600 of 2od. a week.* The greater part of
the parish was formerly a marsh, and in old maps the district
appears as a miniature Holland, being intersected with a
network of dykes and ditches. As a consequence, it has
always been very fertile, and particularly appropriate for
pasture and market-gardens. Thus Lysons in his descrip-
tion (1811) says : ' The land which is not occupied by houses
is principally pasture, of which there are about 470 acres.
The market-gardeners employ about forty.' The marshy
nature of the subsoil has been found to be a serious hindrance
in the erection of buildings within the park. Piles have to
be driven in, and a solid bed of concrete placed upon them
before building operations can be commenced. In some
cases where these precautions have not been taken, although
the result has not been quite so disastrous as in the case
of the house built upon the sand, yet serious subsidences
have taken place.
One incident in connection with the soil is worthy of
mention. Rotherhithe would hardly be chosen as a place
having a soil or situation adapted to the culture of vines.
Yet we learnt that an attempt was made in this parish in
1725 to restore the cultivation of the vine which had once
been successfully followed in England. The particular kind
chosen was the Burgundy grape which ripens early, and so
it was thought that it would be suitable for the English
* Henslowe's 'Diary,' p. 81.
f Hughson, ' History and Survey of London and its Suburbs.'
SOUTH W ARK PARK 195
climate. The attempt was rewarded with success, and the
crop amounted to upwards of 100 gallons annually.
This neighbourhood was encircled by two tidal streams —
the Mill and the Neckinger. The latter has for centuries
contributed to the commercial prosperity of Bermondsey,
furnishing the water-power first of all for the various mills
of the district, and then when these disappeared supplying
the tanners with what their trade required. This stream
in ancient days connected the Thames with the Grange,
and bore fish and other produce to the monks of Bermondsey
Abbey. It was not covered in till about 1850, and though
no longer open, it still conveys the Thames water to the
Neckinger Mills, the extensive tanneries of Messrs.
Bevington.*
The other small river, called the Mill Stream, is more
nearly associated with the park. This stream joined the
Thames at the bottom of Mill Street. The mill from which
this stream took its name is mentioned in one of the oldest
records of the district, viz., a deed executed by the Abbot
of Bermondsey relating to a mill in a corner of Jacob's Island
near St. Saviour's Dock, demised to John Curlew in 1536
for grinding purposes.! The mention of Jacob's Island calls
to remembrance Dickens' inimitable description of this fever-
stricken and loathsome collection of hovels in ' Oliver Twist,'
where it will be remembered the last scene in the life of
Bill Sykes was enacted. It was no doubt due to the great
novelist's unvarnished and vivid portrayal of the condition
of things here that the long-delayed improvement of this
spot was carried out, and in 1850 the crazy tenements were
pulled down, and the Neckinger and Mill Streams covered in.
On the north-western corner of the park was a district
known as the Seven Islands, which comprised a number
of tidal ditches, and a large pond, the Mill Pond, all of
which were drained and filled up when the park was formed.
The inhabitants of the streets round the mill pond were
* Rev. H. Lees Bell, ' History of Bermondsey,' 1880, pp. 37, 38.
f Ibid., p. 39.
13—2
196 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
dependent till comparatively recent times upon these dirty
ditches for their supply of water, which was fetched in pails.*
Before the formation of the park, the marshes and meadows
were crossed by a narrow pathway called the ' Halfpenny
Hatch,' which extended from Blue Anchor Road to Deptford
Lower Road, then past the ' China Hall ' tavern to another
place of refreshment, the ' Dog and Duck,' near the entrance
to the Commercial Docks. The travellers who patronized
the ' China Hall ' had the privilege of passing along the
' Halfpenny Hatch ' without paying the usual toll of a half-
penny. This ' Dog and Duck ' reminds us of a barbarous
sport, happily now extinct, of hunting ducks by means of
spaniels. The fun consisted in seeing the duck dive just
at the moment when the spaniel was going to seize it. This
cruel pastime of the so-called ' good old times ' fortunately
fell into disuse at the beginning of this century.
The ' China Hall ' still exists in name, but the present
tavern just outside the park gates in Deptford Lower Road
is quite modern. The ancient tavern was pulled down within
the last few years. Pepys, a frequent visitor to Redriffe, as
he calls the district, mentions it, but gives us no details.
Mr. Larwood, in his ' History of Sign-Boards,' speaking of
' China Hall,' says : 'It is not unlikely that this was the
same place which, in the summer of 1777, was opened as a
theatre. Whatever its use in former times, it was at that
time the warehouse of a paper manufacturer. In those days
the West End often visited the entertainments of the East,
and the new theatre was sufficiently patronized to enable
the proprietor to venture upon some embellishments. The
prices were : Boxes, 35. ; pit, 2s. ; gallery, is. ; and the time
of commencing varied from half-past six to seven o'clock,
according to the season. The Wonder, Love in a Village,
The Comical Courtship, and The Lying Valet, were among the
plays performed. The famous Cooke was one of the actors
in the season of 1778. In that same year the building
suffered the usual fate of all theatres, and was utterly
destroyed by fire.'
* 'Old and New London,' vol. vi. p. 135.
198 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
The number of places of this kind which at one time
existed within a short radius of the park is indeed remark-
able. In addition to the two already mentioned, there were
the Bermondsey Spa, St. Helena Tavern and Tea-Gardens,
the Blue Anchor, Jamaica House, Halfway House, and
Cherry Garden. At the time these were flourishing, this
neighbourhood was in the country, and it is no unusual
thing to find an appendix like the following in the advertise-
ments of the entertainments : ' For the security of the public,
the road is lighted and watched by patroles every night at
the sole expense of the proprietor.'* The existence of these
old places is wisely kept in memory in naming the streets
of this locality. Thus Jamaica Level and Jamaica Road
are so called from Jamaica House and Tea-Gardens, which
were formerly at the end of Cherry Garden Street. Tradi-
tion says that Jamaica House was one of the numerous
residences of Oliver Cromwell, but unfortunately there is no
evidence to confirm the statement. Many of these places
are mentioned by Pepys, who never seemed to miss an
opportunity of enjoying himself. He was here on April 14,
1667, on which occasion he writes : ' Over the water to
Jamaica House where I never was before, and then the girls
did run for wagers over the bowling-green ; and there with
much pleasure, spent little and so home.' No doubt this
was not the last visit he paid here. He has an entry also
regarding Cherry Gardens, which has left its name in Cherry
Garden Street. 'June 15, 1664. — To Greenwich, and so to
the Cherry Garden, and thence by water, singing finely, to
the bridge, and there landed.'
The last place we shall mention in connection with Pepys
is Halfway House, which he frequently visited on his way to
Deptford Dockyard, to which it was a halfway house.
' May 20, 1662. — Thence to Tower Wharfe, and then took
boat, and we all walked to Halfway House, and there ate
and drank and were pleasant, and so finally home again in
the evening.'
'•'•' Quoted in ' The London Pleasure - Gardens of the Eighteenth
Century,' W. Wroth, 1896, p. 234.
SOUTH W ARK PARK . 199
'March 18, 1662-3. — After dinner by water to Redriffe,
my wife and Ashwell with me, and so walked and left them
at Halfway House.'
It is supposed by many that this is the same as Jamaica
House, but as he says in his entry of 1667 concerning this
latter place 'where I never was before,' this must be a mis-
take. In Corbett's Lane, just off Rotherhithe New Road, is
St. Helena Tavern, where were situated St. Helena Gardens,
which are of far too modern a date for Pepys. It is not
many years since these were in the heyday of their prosperity.
There was only one drawback to the visitors, at least to those
who had driven from a distance and had exceeded the bounds
of moderation, and this arose from the peculiar character of
the marshy ground. On each side of the road were ditches of
muddy water, and on dark nights, unless the guiding Jehu
were particularly sober, it would be no infrequent occurrence
for the whole party to be turned into the ditch, and so
undergo an involuntary bath, which might have a beneficial
effect in bringing them round. These gardens, which were
over 5 acres in extent in 1832, were closed in 1881, and
their site has since been built over. It is hardly necessary,
therefore, to point out the importance of having secured a
park in this neighbourhood, which was once so rich in
gardens and places of open-air entertainment.
We next come to a group of three recreation-grounds,
small in actual area, but situated in localities where open
spaces are rare.
NELSON RECREATION-GROUND.
This recreation-ground is found in Kipling, formerly Nelson
Street, on the border of Bermondsey, close to Guy's Hospital.
Although not of large extent, it forms an important breath-
ing-place in a crowded neighbourhood. It was acquired in
1897 at a cost of £ 4,600 from Guy's Hospital, or rather ' The
President and Governors of the Hospital founded at the sole
costs and charges of Thomas Guy, Esq.,' to give the well-
known institution its full title. The land had been in the
200 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
possession of the hospital authorities since 1789, in which
year it was purchased, together with adjacent property, from
Mr. John Dekewer for the sum of £4,200. It is interesting
to compare the plans of the estate at that time with the maps
of the present day. There are no towering warehouses, no
busy thoroughfares with ceaseless noisy traffic, no iron rail-
roads to be delineated. The plan simply shows a series of
open fields which might be in the heart of the country in-
stead of the very centre of a huge Metropolis. Apart from
the tracks, the only other features to notice are the open
sewers or ditches so characteristic of bygone Southwark and
Bermondsey.
The part of the estate now set apart as a place for recrea-
tion was used by the hospital authorities as a burial-ground
down to the year 1855. The burials were confined chiefly to
the poor patients of the hospital, so that no person of note
has found his last resting-place here. Many a gruesome tale
is told in connection with this and other London burial-
grounds of the ' body-snatching ' by the so-called ' resurrec-
tion men,' who secretly exhumed the bodies as soon as
buried. This was a very profitable business if the marauders
could escape detection. The corpses were sold for anatomical
purposes, the coffins for fuel, the nails and coffin-plates had
a marketable value, and there wTas always the chance of find-
ing rings or other trinkets buried with the bodies. The
passing of the Anatomical Act, 1832, did a good deal to stop
the trading in corpses. Previous to this surgeons and
medical students had been granted the bodies of executed
malefactors for dissection, but owing to the demand exceed-
ing the supply, which led to the terrible traffic just mentioned,
the new statute was introduced, which abated the ignominy
of anatomical research by prohibiting the use of executed
murderers for that purpose, and by permitting, under certain
conditions, the dissection of persons dying in workhouses, etc.
This land, having fallen into disuse as a place of interment,
was let subsequently to a firm of builders as a business yard,
with power to erect temporary buildings thereon, but with
NEWINGTON RECREATION-GROUND 201
no permission to interfere with the remains beneath. Now
that the Disused Burials Act, 1884, has been passed, it
cannot of course be built over, and it has been put to the
best possible use in being converted into a recreation-ground.
The purchase-money, £4,600, was made up as follows :
Vestry of Bermondsey, £1,186; St. Olave District Board,
£300; Vestry of St. George-the- Martyr, £164 ; Metropolitan
Public Gardens Association, £500 ; Guinness's Trustees,
£150 ; and the London County Council, £2,300.
A short walk from Nelson Street brings us to
NEWINGTON RECREATION-GROUND.
This recreation-ground, ij acres in extent, is situate at
the rear of the Sessions House, Newington Causeway. It
is approached from the main road by a narrow thoroughfare,
Union Road, which widens considerably as the recreation-
ground is reached. The ground occupies the site of Horse-
monger Lane Gaol, so-called from the former name of
Union Road. The gaol and the adjoining Sessions House
for the meetings of the Surrey county magistrates were
erected in accordance with an Act passed in 1791 ' for build-
ing a new common gaol and sessions house, with accommo-
dations thereto, for the county of Surrey.' For this purpose
3^ acres of land were purchased, which were then used as
market-gardens, and upon them these two buildings were
erected at a cost of nearly £40,000. The Sessions House
now used is not the original structure.
Horsemonger Lane Gaol was closed in 1878, and when it
was pulled down the Surrey justices permitted a portion of
the site to be used as a public playground until it might be
sold or utilized for other county purposes. This playground,
ij acres in extent, was laid out by the Metropolitan Public
Gardens Association at a cost of £356, and opened to the
public on May 5, 1884. The association also maintained it
for a short time, but in the following year the management
was transferred to the Vestry of Newington. Subsequently
in 1890 the sessions house and the whole of the land were
202 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
assigned to the county of London on the apportionment of
the property between the counties of Surrey and London.
The recreation-ground was then enlarged to its present size,
planted and fitted with gymnastic apparatus. The prison
A Band Performance in Newington Recreation-Ground.
walls and gatehouse were pulled down, and the playground
made in every way suitable for public use. Only children are
admitted to the ground, except during the band performances
on Saturdays, when a large adult audience is attracted.
Horsemonger Lane Gaol was built in 1799 on lines
NEWINGTON RECREATION-GROUND 203
suggested by John Howard, the prison reformer. It was
at the time of its erection the largest prison in the county
of Surrey, and consisted of two portions, one occupied by
debtors, and the other by criminals or persons arrested on
criminal charges. It was a substantially-built structure,
chiefly of brick, quadrangular in form, and consisted of three
stories above the basement, and provided accommodation
for 300 prisoners in all. The average duration of imprison-
ment undergone by each prisoner was not lengthy, as this
gaol was not a house of correction. A description of life in
the interior (which is none too flattering to the prison
authorities) is given by the author of ' London Prisons.'
He describes how a visitor must be impressed when entering
the wards with the absence of all rule and system in the
management. ' He finds himself in a low, long room,
dungeon-like, chilly, not very clean, and altogether as un-
comfortable as it can conveniently be made. This room is
crowded with thirty or forty persons, of all ages and shades
of ignorance and guilt, left to themselves, with no officer
in sight. Here there is no attempt to enforce discipline.
Neither silence nor separation is maintained. ... In this
room we see thirty or forty persons with nothing to do.
Many of them know not how to read, and those who do are
little encouraged so to improve their time. Some of them
clearly prefer their present state of listless idleness. With
hands in their pockets, they saunter about their dungeon,
or loll upon the floor, listening to the highly-spiced stories
of their companions, well content to be fed at the expense
of the county — upon a better diet, better cooked, than they
are accustomed to at home — without any trouble or exertion
on their own part.'* This was written in 1850, some fifteen
years before the passing of the Prisons Discipline Act,
which changed this and other gaols from being low-class
clubs to places where silence was maintained, and where
the prisoners passed their sentences in solitary confinement.
Long after the gaol was abolished, the lofty enclosing
* Hepworth Dixon, 'London Prisons,' 1850, p. 286.
204 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
wall and the massive gate-house were retained, and the
recreation-ground still presented a very prison-like appear-
ance. Part of the handsome building used as a weights and
measures station is upon the site of this gate-house. Although
this latter structure possessed no architectural beauty, it
was interesting from the fact that the public executions took
place over it. Now that such scenes are hidden from the
curiosity of the public gaze, a large crowd will assemble at
an early hour to see the black flag hoisted, the signal which
tells them that a fellow-creature has paid for his crime with
his life. It can easily be imagined, therefore, how many
would flock to see a public execution with all its gruesome
details enacted before their eyes. Many hours before the
time fixed the roadway before the prison gate was blocked
with these spectators, anxious to obtain a favourable position.
The owners of the cottages opposite used to reap a good
income from those who were able to hire their rooms for
the night, so as to be sure of witnessing the scene in the
early morning. Charles Dickens came here on one occasion
in order to see the crowd, and so gather materials for some
of those vivid pictures of London life which he has so faith-
fully recorded. It was on November 13, 1849, when the
Mannings were executed. He writes : ' I was a witness of
the execution at Horsemonger Lane this morning. I went
there with the intention of observing the crowd gathered
to behold it, and I had excellent opportunities of doing so
at intervals all through the night, and continuously from
daybreak until after the spectacle was over. I believe that
a sight so inconceivably awful as the wickedness and levity
of the immense crowd collected at that execution could be
imagined by no man, and could be presented in no heathen
land under the sun. The horrors of the gibbet and of the
crime which brought the wretched murderers to it faded in
my mind before the atrocious bearing, looks, and language
of the assembled spectators. When I came upon the scene
at midnight, the shrillness of the cries and howls that were
raised from time to time, denoting that they came from a
NEWINGTON RECREATION-GROUND 205
concourse of boys and girls already assembled in the best
places, made my blood run cold. As the night went on,
screeching and laughing and yelling in strong chorus . . .
were added to these. When the day dawned, thieves, low
prostitutes, ruffians and vagabonds of every kind flocked
on to the ground with every variety of offensive and foul
behaviour. Fightings, faintings, whistlings, imitations of
Punch, brutal jokes, tumultuous demonstrations of indecent
delight when swooning women were dragged out of the
crowd by the police with their dresses disordered, gave a
new zest to the general entertainment. . . . When the
two miserable creatures who attracted all this ghastly sight
about them were turned quivering into the air, there was
no more emotion, no more pity, no more thought that two
immortal souls had gone to judgment, no more restraint in
any of the previous obscenities than if the name of Christ
had never been heard in this world, and there were no belief
among men but that they perished like the beasts. I have
seen, habitually, some of the worst sources of general con-
tamination and corruption in this country, and I think there
are not many phases of London life that could surprise me.'*
So writes Dickens about this scene, which is fortunately
one of the things of the past, and it will be a pleasant change
to turn to the romance of Horsemonger Lane Gaol if such
a thing can be connected with a prison. It was here that
Leigh Hunt was confined for two years together with his
brother for the serious political offence of calling the ' first
gentleman in Europe ' an ' Adonis of fifty.' Among his
visitors were Thomas Moore and Byron, and this was the
occasion when the noble poet met ' the wit in the dungeon '
for the first time in his life. The illustrious poets dined
with their friend in the prison, who does not seem to have
suffered very great hardships, for Moore speaks of 'the
luxurious comforts, the trellised flower-garden without, the
books, busts, pictures and pianoforte within,' t which are
* Quoted in 'Old and New London,' vol. vi., pp. 254, 255.
f Hepworth Dixon, ' London Prisons/ 1850, pp. 285, 286.
206 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
a considerable aid to dispelling the illusion that ' stone walls
a prison make.'
One of the ' sights ' that used to be exhibited at this prison
was the hurdle upon which Colonel Despard was drawn
from the cell in which he was last confined to the place
of execution, which was part of the punishment formerly
inflicted upon criminals convicted of high treason. He had
been tried together with thirty accomplices by a special
commission held in 1803 in the adjoining sessions house,
and the Colonel and six of his colleagues were hung and
beheaded here.
The last of the group is
WALWORTH RECREATION-GROUND.
This open space, about f of an acre in extent, is situated
in East Street, Walworth, a thoroughfare which connects
New Kent Road and the Walworth Road. East Street in
modern times has acquired a more than local celebrity,
owing to its connection with the victim of a sensational
murder committed on the London and South-Western Rail-
way, the author of which has hitherto succeeded in eluding
justice. Walworth is a place without a history, although its
existence can be traced back to Anglo-Saxon times. It may
be that this lack of historical interest has led to the many
traditions which connect this place with the illustrious
citizen and Lord Mayor, Sir William Walworth, who killed
Wat Tyler in Smithfield. It is a long time back to the reign
of Richard II., and in the interim a decided cloud has come
over the events of those memorable times. It is only a con-
jecture, which has received the support of many historians,
that the little isolated hamlet, as Walworth must then have
been, was the birthplace of the celebrated Lord Mayor.
Another form which the tradition takes is that the Manor of
Walworth was bestowed upon Sir William together with the
honour of knighthood, as a reward for the part he took in
suppressing the formidable rebellion. This is not borne out
by the manorial history which is very simple.
WALWORTH RECREATION-GROUND 207
King Edmund gave the Manor of Walworth to his jester,
Nithardus, who in the reign of Edward the Confessor, being
about to make a pilgrimage to Rome, obtained a license from
that monarch to give it to the Church of Canterbury. In
the Doomsday record, this manor, called Waleorde, is said
to have been held in the time of William the Conqueror by
Baynardus of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and to have
been appropriated to the support of the monks. It had been
valued at 305. and at 205., but was then worth £3, and in
1291 was taxed at £10.* The Monastery of Christ Church,
Canterbury, was suppressed by Henry VIII. in 1540, who
established a Dean and twelve prebendaries in the room of
the Prior and monks, and bestowed on them this and other
estates, which still belong to the Dean and Chapter of
Canterbury. f The statement as to the reward given to
William Walworth, taken from Stow's quaint and interesting
account of the rebellion runs as follows : ' The rude people
being thus dispersed and gone, the King commaunded William
Walworth to put a basenet on his head, for feare of that
which might follow ; and the Maior requested to know for
what cause he should so doe, sith all was quieted. The King
answered, that he was much bound to him, and therefore he
should be made Knight. The Maior againe answered, that
hee was not worthy, neither able to take such estate upon him ;
for he was but a merchant, and to live by his merchandize.
Notwithstanding, at the last, the King made him put on his
basenet, and then tooke a sworde with both his hands, and
strongly with a good will strake him on the necke. . . . The
King gave to Sir William Walworth £100 land, and to the
other £40 land, to them and their heires for ever.'
When the manorial history is compared with this account,
it will be seen that there are many difficulties in the way of
reconciling the tradition with the facts. In the first place,
the manor did not belong to Richard II., so that it was not
his to bestow. Then we see that the land is valued at £100,
* Lysons, ' Environs of London,' vol. i., p. 284.
t Brayley and Britton's ' Surrey,' vol. iii., part ii., p. 401.
208 OPEN SPA CES OF LONDON
which ninety years before had been taxed at £10. And,
lastly, we have to account for the transfer to the Dean and
Chapter of Canterbury. On the other hand, some colour is
given to the tradition by the fact that in the reigns of
Edward III. and Richard II., and at subsequent periods, the
manor is stated to have been held by a family of the name of
Wai worth. Margaret de Walworth is mentioned as Lady of
the Manor in a register of William de Wykeham, Bishop
of Winchester, in 1396, or eleven years after the death
of Sir William Walworth, and in 1474 Sir George Walworth
died, seised of the manor.* But these persons and others,
who are said to have held the manor, were probably lessees
under the ecclesiastical lords of the fee, and the identity of
the names is simply one of those curious coincidences that
often happen.
In the Manor of Walworth two commons were comprised :
Lowenmoor Common, of about 19 acres, and Walworth
Common, of about 48 acres. It is needless to say that there
are no extensive commons in the populous Walworth of the
present day, and the provision of this open space, small as it
is, will be an inestimable boon in this crowded neighbour-
hood. It is probably part of the old Walworth Common,
and, although now open, has been covered with houses. The
ground had already been sold for building purposes, when the
London County Council stepped in and made a higher offer.
The cost of the site was £5,375, towards which the Council
contributed £2,500 ; the Vestry of St. Mary, Newington, a
similar sum; and Mr. James Bailey, M.P. for Walworth, the
remainder. Though the web of romance which tradition
has woven round the spot has had to be removed, it will not
detract in any way from its utility as a recreation-ground for
Walworth.
* Brayley and Britton's * Surrey,' vol. Hi., part ii., p. 401.
CHAPTER XL
TOOTING GRAVENEY COMMON — TOOTING BECK COMMON
—STREATHAM GREEN— STREATH AM COMMON.
TOOTING COMMONS.
THE south of London is particularly fortunate in the
possession of so many fine commons, among which
that of Tooting is certainly worthy of holding first
rank. Although split up into three separate areas
by the two branches of the Brighton railway which pass
across it, its golden patches of furze, its noble avenues of
trees, and its ever-green springy turf still mark it as one of
Nature's favoured spots. What is popularly known as Toot-
ing Common is in reality two commons — Tooting Beck and
Tooting Graveney, separated by a majestic avenue, which
faces the keeper's lodge.
The derivation of the name ' Tooting,' or ' Totinges,' as it
is called in Doomsday Book, is enshrined in doubt. Many
authorities assert that it is derived from theou, a slave, and
ing, a meadow ; but others assert that it takes its name from
the great Celtic god Teut,* or Teutates, and ing, a meadow.
It is after this Celtic deity that we have Thursday, the day
dedicated to Thor, and many place-names in England, such
as Tot Hill, Tooting, etc., are said to owe their origin to
their being the former site of the worship of this god. At
the most these derivations are but ingenious conjectures.!
* Variously spelt Tuisto, Teut, Teutates, Tot or Thor.
f Arnold, ' Streatham/ 1886, pp. 26, 27.
14
210
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
The Manor of Tooting Graveney is of royal origin. It is
mentioned in Doomsday Book as having been held of King
Edward, and then of the Abbot of Chertsey. In the year
1285, Bartholomew de Costello had a grant to him and his
heirs of free warren in Tooting, and in 1314 Thomas de
Lodelaw died, seised of the Manor of Totinge Graveney, and
The Main Avenue, Tooting Common.
a capital messuage, garden, dovecot, 100 acres of land, 12 of
meadow, 5 of pasture, 4 of wood, rents of assize, 245., pleas
and perquisites of court. We find that in 1332 Thomas
Lodelaw, the son, held his lands in Totinge Graveney of the
Abbot of Chertsey, and the Abbot held of the King in like
manner. The manor remained in possession of the Monastery
of Chertsey until the time of its dissolution in the thirtieth
TOOTING COMMON 211
year of King Henry VIII. The earliest court mentioned on
the Rolls was held in the thirty-fourth year of that reign : but
the name of the Lord of the Manor at that time is not entered.
In 1652 Sir John Maynard appears to have been seised of the
manor, whose representatives in 1682 sold it to Sir Paul
Whitchcote, and in 1695 an Act was passed enabling the
Whitchcote family to grant leases of the manor for ninety-
nine years. After many changes in ownership, which it
would be tedious to enumerate, the manor was in 1861 put
up for sale by public auction, when it was purchased by
Mr. W. J. Thompson,* from whom the manorial rights were
bought by the late Metropolitan Board of Works in 1875,
whose successors the London County Council are the present
lords of the manor.
Tooting Graveney derives its second name from the De
Gravenelle family, in whose possession it was soon after the
Conquest, and was at one time held on payment of a rose
yearly at the feast of St. John the Baptist.^ Here is a
splendid example for those who declaim against unearned
increments, for the freehold of the two commons cost the
late Metropolitan Board of Works £17,771. The manor
and the parish of Tooting Graveney are as nearly as possible
coterminous, comprising about 565 acres, of which the
common claims 63. It is interesting to record that this is
the smallest parish in England. The inhabitants of the
manor had extensive privileges including pasturage for all
beasts, whether commonable or not, a right of cutting furze,
bushes, fern and heath, a right to dig gravel, turf, and loam,
merely paying the cost of haulage and digging, and lastly the
right which has not been taken away from them, viz., that of
the use of the common for recreation and village sports.
The common has been disfigured in many places by this
gravel-digging, but Nature is doing her best to cover over
these places with her carpet of green, and so transforming
them into lovely dells. The Court Rolls contain many
* From evidence prepared for the action of Betts v. Thompson.
f Lysons, ' Environs of London,' 1810, vol. i., part i., p. 374.
14—2
212 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
entries of grants of the common land in consideration of
payments made towards building the church or national
schools in Church Lane, which are themselves erected on
common land. The parish benefited to the extent of
£1,417 los. through these transactions, but a resolution was
passed in 1851 denying the right of the Lord of the Manor
to alienate in any way the common lands of the parish. If
their predecessors had been equally firm the commons would
now be of considerably greater area. In 1569 one-fifth part
of the two commons of Tooting Beck and Tooting Graveney
was enclosed by Robert Lenesey, and it was ordered 'that
hereafter he do it not.'* The large district of Streatham Park
was originally taken from the common by Mr. Thrale with
the permission of the Duke of Bedford.^ We have men-
tioned before that the manor was put up to auction in 1861,
and the inhabitants were naturally anxious that the purchaser
should be opposed to enclosure. To their great relief they
heard that the late Lord of the Manor, Mr. Thompson, was
going to bid, and as he was well known to be opposed to
enclosure, they resolved not to bid against him. Eventually
the manor and some house property were knocked down to
him at £3,285. When the lord was in possession, it suddenly
occurred to him that some of the land was worth £1,000 an
acre for building purposes, and he at once began to enclose
portions of it. The inhabitants were up in arms, and the
fences were pulled down. The war dragged on for several
years till a Mr. Betts, a local butcher, secured an injunction
in 1870 restraining the lord from interfering with the rights
of pasturage, etc., of the inhabitants.
The Rolls contain several entries with regard to the rights
of tenants of the manor to cut furze, and take away gravel.
They were extremely strict, and rightly so, with regard to
tenants of other manors or foreigners as they are called,
exercising these rights, and many are the fines which these
trespassers have been called upon to pay.
In 1605 the parishioners themselves were forbidden to cut
* Arnold, ' Streatham,' p. 107. f Ibid., p. 214.
TOOTING COMMON 213
any more furze, but the order does not seem to have been
obeyed, as it is repeated in many subsequent years, but
fathers of families are expressly allowed to have 100 bundles
a year. The straying of cattle on to the common lands
seems to have been a serious matter, so much so that the
remuneration of the keeper was settled at the amount of fines
he could recover for trespass. It may be interesting to quote
the scale of fees which formed the remuneration of John
Willson, the keeper appointed in 1660. It is in modern
English as follows : ' For every beast within the same manor
and parish to be found trespassing upon the common after
the first of November as followeth. For every horse, mare,
gelding, or cow 4d., and for the same cattle of every stranger
is. ; for every hog unringed 46.., and for every hog ringed 2d.,
if they be taken upon the common or elsewhere. For every
score of sheep 6d., and so after the same rate for fewer, and
double to strangers. And that the same field keep and
common keep shall have power and liberty from time to time
to impound the same cattle which are there to remain until
the same penalties be paid, and the parties trespassed
satisfied for the wrongs done to them.'* The succeeding
keepers were remunerated at the same rate, and it is hoped
this payment by results secured efficient protection for the
common.
The remainder of the present common, the Tooting Beck
portion, is in the manor of that name, which at the time of
the Doomsday survey was held by the Norman Abbey of
St. Mary de Bee, from which it derives its name. It left
their possession on the dissolution of alien monasteries in
1414, and was vested in the Crown. The King gave the
manor to his brother, John Plantagenet, Duke of Bedford,
and as he had no children, it descended to his nephew,
Henry VI. Later on we find the King assigning the manor
as part of the endowment of Eton College which he had
founded. After he was deposed, his successor, Edward IV.,
took back several of the grants to the college, the Priory or
* From the Court Rolls.
214 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Manor of ' Totynbeke ' being one of them, and granted it to
the Bishop of Durham. It seems then to have reverted to
the King again, and he presented it to the Earl of Worcester,
who settled it upon a fraternity called St. Mary's Guild for
the repose of the soul of Edward IV. At the dissolution of
religious houses, the manor was sold in 1553 to John Dudley,
Earl of Warwick, and fifty years later it was purchased by
Sir Giles Rowland. His descendant, John Rowland, died
seised of the property in 1686, leaving it to his daughter
Elizabeth, who conveyed it, by marriage, to Wriothesley,
Marquis of Tavistock, afterwards third Duke of Bedford,
and Baron Rowland of Streatham — a title granted by
William III., and since held by the Duke of Bedford. Lord
Wriothesley, who was only fifteen at the time, was married
by Bishop Burnet of Salisbury at the old manor-house of
Streatham. Francis, fifth Duke of Bedford, conveyed the
manor to his brother, Lord William Russell, who was
murdered by his Swiss valet, Courvoisier, in Norfolk Street,
Strand, in 1840.* Before his death he had sold his interests
in the estate to R. Borradaile and Richard Rymer. The
next Lord of the Manor was Robert Hudson, of Clapham
Common, from whom the manorial rights were purchased in
1873 for £10,500 by the late Metropolitan Board of Works,
so that their successors, the London County Council, are
lords of both the manors of Tooting Graveney and Tooting
Beck. The acreage of Tooting Beck Common is 147^,
making 2OiJ for the two.
The chief historical name connected with Tooting Common
is that of Dr. Johnson. As the guest of Mrs. Thrale at
Thrale Place, he was a most frequent visitor to the common,
and made her house a second home. Mr. Thrale, who is
usually passed over in any mention of Dr. Johnson, was an
opulent brewer of Southwark, and was a person of no mean
attainments. It will be sufficient to quote Dr. Johnson's
opinion of him. ' I know no man,' said he, ' who is more
master of his wife and family than Thrale. If he but holds
* Thorne, ' Environs of London,' 1876, vol. ii., pp. 588. 589.
TOOTING COMMON
215
up a finger, he is obeyed. It is a great mistake to suppose
that she is above him in literary attainments. She is more
flippant, but he has ten times her learning ; he is a regular
scholar, but her learning is that of a schoolboy in one of the
lower forms.' It may be mentioned that after the death of
Mr. Thrale, in 1781, the brewery was put up to auction and
bought by Mr. Barclay junior, then the head of the banking
Thrale Place, formerly overlooking Tooting Common.
firm of Barclay and Co. Not knowing much about brewing,
he took into partnership Mr. Perkins, who had formerly been
manager of the brewery in Mr. Thrale's time, and hence we
have the origin of the firm of Barclay and Perkins. Thrale
Place estate, which was over TOO acres, faced Tooting Bee
Common and extended as far as Streatham Church. The
mansion was a large white house of three stories, having a
216 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
slightly projecting centre and wings with a semicircular end.
This house was pulled down in 1863,* and its place has been
taken by Streatham Park, a picturesque building estate dotted
with red-brick houses. It would be out of place in this work
to give any lengthy account of Dr. Johnson or his work, so
we will confine ourselves to a few remarks as to his connection
with Tooting. It was not till he was nearly sixty years of
age that he took up his residence with Mr. Thrale and his
young wife. Up to this time he had had a hard struggle in
life. He had to quit his University before obtaining his
degree, on account of his poverty, and his first effort in life
was as an usher at a school in Market Bosworth ; but the
drudgery of this life was unbearable to him, so he tried to
earn his bread by translating fora bookseller in Birmingham.
In 'the midst cf his troubles he married Mrs. Porter, a widow
twenty years older than himself, whose fortune of £800 he
attempted to turn to profit by opening a school. This lasted
for eighteen months, and during that time he only attracted
three pupils, but one of those three was the celebrated actor,
David Garrick. Having given up the school he came to
London, and contributed largely to the Gentleman's Magazine.
He now came to be better known, and a proposal was made
to him to prepare a dictionary of the English language.
This work, with which his name will always be associated,
was completed in 1755, and was received with an enthusiasm
never bestowed on any similar work before. The success of
his dictionary did not at once relieve his pecuniary wants,
and it was not till 1762 that his efforts received national re-
cognition. But with a pension of £300 a year a complete
change came over his career. He was no longer compelled
to write for money, and as a consequence his natural indolence
revived, and he abandoned himself to talk and tea. It was
about this time that he became acquainted with the Thrales.
Tradition couples the name of the burly lexicographer with
the old tree we shall have to mention later on, telling us
with graphic details how he compiled page after page of his
* Thorne, * Environs of London,' vol. ii., p. 590.
TOOTING COMMON 217
dictionary under its spreading arms ; but alas for tradition !
his magnum opus was completed and published long before he
came to Tooting. His favourite resort was the little summer-
house in the grounds. One cannot wonder that Dr. Johnson,
who had little taste for grand or rugged scenery, should
have found in Mr. Thrale's house a spot as congenial in its
natural surroundings as in the human companionship it
afforded. Here for fifteen years he was a constant visitor ;
but during the whole of this time he kept a dingy house at
the bottom of Bolt Court, on the face of which is a tablet
recording the fact. Although his literary work almost ceased
during this time, he is said to have written the greater part of
Summer-house in Mrs. Thrale's Garden, the Favourite Resting-place
of Dr. Johnson.
his ' Lives of the Poets ' at Tooting. Another literary work
connected with Thrale Place is the ' Vicar of Wakefield,' for
Mrs. Thrale relates that it was from here that Dr. Johnson
sallied forth to the help of Oliver Goldsmith, and was the
immediate cause of the publication of his masterpiece. In
1781 Johnson lost his best friend, Mr. Thrale, and was one
of the executors under his will. The story goes ' that when
the sale of Thrale's brewery was going on, Johnson appeared
bustling about, with an inkhorn and pen in his buttonhole,
like an Excise-man ; and that on being asked what he really
considered to be the value of the property which was to be
disposed of, answered, "We are not here to sell a parcel of
218 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
boilers and vats, but the potentiality of growing rich beyond
the dreams of avarice." '* With the death of Mr. Thrale
Dr. Johnson's connection with Tooting ceases, and the next
year we find him saying farewell to the old place. Many
writers attribute this fact to Mrs. Thrale' s changed manner
towards him. She very soon after the death of her husband
married a music-master named Piozzi. Johnson only sur-
vived his exile for two years, and was buried in Westminster
Abbey.
Another frequent visitor to Thrale Place was Sir Joshua
Reynolds, who was commissioned by Mr. Thrale to paint the
portraits of the most famous of his guests. This series of
portraits, twenty-four in all, was known as the Streatham
Gallery, and included Goldsmith, Burke, Reynolds, Chambers,
Garrick, besides the host and hostess and the great Doctor
himself. When the gallery of pictures was sold by auction
in 1816 various prices were realized, ranging from £80 to
£378, which latter was for that of Johnson.f
A turnpike gate formerly stood on the highroad between
Tooting and Streatham, at the north-west corner of what is
now Streatham Park, which was the scene of an amusing
incident, in which several important personages figured.
The story goes that Lord Thurlow had been dining at
Addiscombe with Mr. Jenkinson (afterwards Lord Liver-
pool) in company with Dundas and the younger Pitt, then
Chancellor of the Exchequer. After drinking rather freely
of Mr. Jenkinson's champagne, they turned homewards at a
late hour of the night. On arriving at this gate the jolly
party found it open and dashed through without paying toll.
The gate-keeper, who was aroused from his sleep by the noise
of their horses' hoofs, got up and dashed into the road, and
fired a blunderbuss at them, happily without effect. He
had no doubt mistaken them for a gang of highwaymen, who
were then infesting the roads. 1
* Quoted in ' Old and New London.'
t Thome, ' Environs of London,' vol. ii., p. 590.
J Arnold, 'Streatham,' pp. no, in.
TOOTING COMMON 219
The two approaches to the common from Tooting and
Streatham respectively are both marked by parish churches,
St. Leonard, the parish church of Streatham, being at the
junction of Tooting Bee Road with the main road from
London to Brighton, and at the other end is St. Nicholas,
the parish church of Tooting, at the corner of Church Lane.
Streatham Church at the Commencement of the Nineteenth Century.
There are two lanes which connect the highroad from
Tooting to Mitcham with the common. These are Church
Lane and Back Lane, both bordered with narrow strips
of common land. There are few spots near London which
are so beautiful. Overhead the giant trees meet in a leafy
arch, and the whole scene is rural indeed. Between the
two lanes is a conspicuous red-brick building, originally
220 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
called St. Joseph's Academy, a school and training college
for Roman Catholics. This is now a workhouse. Con-
tinuing by the main road over the common, we shall
eventually find ourselves at the parish church of Streatham.
The present building only dates from 1831, although the
site has been occupied by a church ever since the Norman
Conquest. It was the last, not the present, building which
was honoured with the presence of Dr. Johnson as a
worshipper. The Thrales had a pew there, although the
spot cannot now be identified. In 1782 Dr. Johnson came
here for the last time. It must have been a great toil for
him to come up the hill from Streatham Park. As he left
the old church, he kissed the porch, as he records in his
diary : * Sunday, went to church at Streatham. Templo
valedixi cum osculo.'* The church possesses two out of
the four or five epitaphs which Dr. Johnson is known to
have written. One is on the tomb of Mrs. Thrale's mother,
to whom he had a particular aversion, and the other on that
of Mr. Thrale himself.
Opposite to St. Leonard's is another ecclesiastical build-
ing of recent construction, the Roman Catholic Church,
built of ragstone with stone facings. This has a tall and
graceful spire, and handsome stained-glass windows.
And now leaving the churches, we come back to the
common, and among numerous other fine trees will be
noticed the relic of a gigantic elm, carefully guarded with
railings. This stump was formerly hollow, but as it wras
chosen by some unhappy being as a suitable place to commit
suicide in, it had to be filled up, and a poplar-tree is now
planted in it. It is supposed that this noble tree is at least
1,000 years old.t The glory of Tooting Common consists
in its trees, and many a story is told about the fine avenues
stretching across its wide expanse. One of them is said
to have stretched to London, and to have been the favourite
drive of Queen Elizabeth. The fact that she came from
* Quoted in Arnold's ' Streatham,' p. 47.
f Arnold, 'Streatham,' pp. m, 112.
TOOTING COMMON
221
London to see Sir Henry Maynard (secretary to her Minister
Lord Burleigh) at his manor-house at Tooting in 1600 may
have accounted for this. We find that in the time of the
Conqueror, Tooting, like many other places, possessed a
wood, and some of the fine old oaks are perhaps a relic
of this past grandeur. Many of these trees were sacrificed
Old Tree on Tooting Common.
in the formation of the two arms of the London, Brighton
and South Coast Railway across the common. One traverses
it from end to end, and leaves it only to intersect the
Streatham Park estate, and the other cuts off and completely
isolates a corner at the Balham end.
The surroundings of this isolated portion of the common
222 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
were once particularly picturesque, and although still rural,
it may not be long before the adjacent land will be required
for building purposes. Hyde Farm has furnished a subject
for many an artist's picture. The land at the rear divided
from the common by iron hurdles is let out for cricket
and football pitches. On the other side of the leafy lane
which forms the approach to the common from Clapham
Park is the Telford Park building estate.
At the corner of Tooting Bee Common, close to Bedford
Hill Road, is a castellated residence called The Priory,
known to fame chiefly through the inquiry into the death
of Mr. Bravo, supposed to have been poisoned by his wife,
who was, however, acquitted. It is now used as a school
for boys. This occupies the site of a real priory, which once
belonged to the former owners of the manor, the Abbey of
Bee in Normandy. The monastic building was almost
totally destroyed through the accidental upsetting of a lamp
by one of the monks. Some of the walls of the present
building are relics of the older structure. When making
some alterations a few years ago, the workmen came across
some tiled paving, which possibly may have been used in
the refectory of the priory. The tiles were in a good state
of preservation, but unfortunately they were all smashed
except two by the workmen, who did not know their value.
The two that remain are of blue ware, and represent
Scriptural incidents, one, * Christ writing in the dust,' and
the other, ' David and Goliath.'*
Another historical personage we shall have to note in
connection with the common is Sir Richard Blackmore,
physician to King William III. and Queen Anne, who was
a very voluminous writer of poetry, medicine, history, and
philosophy. His works are more remarkable for their size
and good purpose than for their genius. Among other long-
winded productions he composed a poem in twelve books
called 'King Arthur,' followed by a similar work, 'Eliza,'
in ten books. ' It is never mentioned,' says Johnson in his
* Arnold, ' Streatham,' pp. 149, 150.
TOOTING COMMON 223
' Lives of the Poets,' ' and was never seen by me till I
borrowed it for the present occasion.' A like fate awaited
his other ' heroic ' effort, in which he sought to enshrine
' King Alfred ' in twelve books, * for,' says Johnson, ' Alfred
took his place by Eliza in silence and darkness ; Benevolence
was ashamed to favour, and Malice was weary of insulting.'
Blackmore was repeatedly snubbed by Pope in his poems,
chiefly because he had attacked Dryden in one of his works.
Blackmore had his country house here for a time.
1 Blackmore himself, for any grand effort,
Would drink and doze at Tooting or Earl's Court.' *
Pope gives us his estimate of his poetry as follows :
* You limp, like Blackmore on a Lord Mayor's horse.'
But in the face of this adverse criticism we must quote
one other authority who was certainly as competent to judge
as either Pope or Johnson, and that is Addison. In con-
cluding one of his essays on the poetry of Milton, Addison
notices Blackmore's ' Creation.' ' The work,' he says, * was
undertaken with so good an intention, and is executed with
so great a mastery, that it deserves to be looked upon as
one of the most useful and noble productions in our English
verse. 't Though perhaps a man of little genius, he was
distinguished by a high and noble purpose, and not a single
word could be said against the integrity of his character.
Just in passing we may mention another great personage,
the author of ' Robinson Crusoe,' Daniel Defoe, who spent
some of his earlier years at Tooting. He founded a
Nonconformist church here in 1688, and has left his name
in Defoe Road, a turning out of the High Street.
Several improvements have been carried out on the
common since it has been in the hands of the London
County Council. A few years ago the adjacent lands by
* Pope, second epistle of Second Book of Horace.
f Spectator, No. 339.
224 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
the keeper's lodge were announced to be developed for
building purposes. This would have meant that the fine
belt of trees overhanging the common would have been lost,
so the local residents put their hands in their pockets, and
their subscriptions, aided by a Council grant, purchased
some 3 acres of close-timbered land as an addition to the
common. The ponds, which were in reality disused gravel-
pits, have now been considerably enlarged, and form a fine
sheet of water. In 1811 John Harwood, a clerk in Woolwich
Dockyard, was thrown out of his chaise into one of the
disused gravel -pits filled with water, and was drowned.
This was probably due to the absence of any proper roads
across the common, the only means of communication being
tracks varying from 20 to 100 feet in width.* Several of the
wet portions have been drained, the surface improved, and
trees planted to make an effort to screen the railways. A
horse - ride has been formed to save the indiscriminate
galloping all over the turf, together with other improvements
of minor interest. There must be few, therefore, who would
regret the transference of the manorial rights from private
to public hands, and the consequent immunity from any
likelihood of encroachment upon this favoured spot.
STREATHAM GREEN — STREATHAM COMMON.
Leaving now the commons of Tooting, and passing by
St. Leonard's Church, we find ourselves on the highroad to
Croydon and Brighton. This is a continuation of the same
Roman road we met at Kennington Park. In the days of
the Romans, and, in fact, till the first ten years or so of the
present century, this Roman road, the Streatham highway,
had a narrow patch of common land on either side extending
its whole length, where travellers could let their cattle graze.
This was fringed with the front ranks of almost pathless
woods, amongst which was ' that great wood called Norwood,'
which shut Streatham in on all sides, and made travelling
* Arnold, ' Streatham/ p. 108.
STREATHAM GREEN— STREATHAM COMMON 225
.exceedingly dangerous. In the latter days of the last century
the journey from Streatham to London, through the country,
was far too dangerous to be attempted by night, unless with
a strong escort, and even in the daytime the adventurous
traveller had need to be fully armed. It is a fearful and
horrible fact that few churchyards have so many people
buried within their precincts who have been ' found dead,'
foully murdered, in many cases, by the numerous footpads
who infested the roads in times gone by, as Streatham
churchyard.*
A small portion of land, about i acre in extent, lying
between the roads to Mitcham and Croydon, known as
Streatham Green, forms a connecting - link between the
-commons of Tooting and Streatham. On one occasion this
little place caused a serious hitch between the vestry and the
Lord of the Manor. The green was closed April 27, 1794,
and the footpath leading to Streatham Church stopped also,
whereupon the indignant vestry wrote a letter of protest to
the lord's agent. It is satisfactory to note that the green and
the path were in the end reopened. Just a word about this
vestry. It was certainly not above unbending what Mr.
Bumble would call its ' porochial dignity.' In these hours of
relaxation they would refresh their inner man at the expense
of the ratepayers, but it was found necessary to draw the line
somewhere. Hence in 1774 'it was ordered that the church-
wardens are not to expend at all the vestry and visitations in
the year, any more than ten guineas for entertainments.'
As we come across entries like these, we venture to think
that the present age has not degenerated so much as pessi-
mists would have us suppose.
Streatham probably derives its Saxon name from the main
road we have referred to, being the ham or village on the
sir eat or street. The name has gone through various changes
in spelling. It was variously spelt ' Stretham,' ' Streetham,'
or ' Streteham.' It is mentioned in Doomsday Book as
' Estraham,' the Normans having corrupted this along with
* Arnold, ; History of Streatham,' 1886, pp. 19, 20.
226 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
many other Saxon names which they could not understand.*
Curiously enough this common, 66 acres in extent, is in the
Manor of Vauxhall, the district known by that name being
some miles away. But this is by no means an isolated case
as regards the dismemberment of manors. The Manor of
Battersea, for instance, includes the district of Penge, a con-
siderable distance away.
The Manor of Fauxhall or Vauxhall was the property of
Baldwin, son of William de Redvers, or de Ripariis, fifth
Earl of Devon, and to whom the Isle of Wight had been
given by Henry I. ; whence he was also called de Insula.
Baldwin married Margaret, daughter and heiress of Warine
Fitzgerald, and settled this manor on her as part of her
dower. He died in the reign of King John, in the lifetime of
his father William, leaving by this Margaret a son named
Baldwin, who on the death of his grandfather William
succeeded him, and became the sixth Earl of Devon. In
1240 the second Baldwin was made Earl of the Isle of
Wight, having previously married Amicia, daughter of Gilbert
de Clare, Earl of Gloucester and Hertford. He died when
young in 1244, leaving Baldwin his son and heir, who
• became the seventh Earl of Devon, and after having married
Margaretta, a kinswoman of Queen Eleanor, died in 1262,
leaving one child, John, who died whilst an infant. Margaret,
who had married his grandfather, was still living, and held
this estate so settled on her. On the death of her first
husband Baldwin, King John compelled her to marry one of
his favourites, Fulk le Breant, of whose origin we have no
certain account. The monkish historians speak with the
greatest bitterness of him, which, indeed, is not to be
wondered at, as he certainly paid no respect to them, but
apart from their testimony, there are authentic accounts of
his violence and turbulence. In addition to this marriage
the King gave him also the wardship of Baldwin's jnfant
son, then heir-apparent to the great earldom of Devon.
These wardships were of great value ; the grantee, besides
* Lysons, 'Environs of London,' 1811, vol. i., part i., p. 361.
STREATHAM COMMON 227
receiving the profits of the estate, had the opportunity of
marrying his daughter to his ward, and as a proof of their
value it may be mentioned that the Earl of Gloucester
afterwards gave the King 2,000 marks for this very ward-
ship. Whatever might be the conduct of Fulk in other
respects, he remained faithful to King John and his son
King Henry, till the commission of that act which brought
on his ruin. He had seized some houses and lands in Luton,
and to recover these the owners instituted legal proceedings
against him. The judges, of whom Henry de Braybrooke
was one, in every case decided against him, and imposed
fines in addition. This so exasperated Fulk, that, as Bray-
brooke was going to the council which the King was hold-
ing at Northampton, he sent a party of mer, seized him and
his attendants, and carried them to the castle of Bedford, of
which he was then Governor. The indignation of the King
and his council was so excited by this deed that they
went to Bedford, summoned the Governor to deliver up the
prisoners, and surrender the castle ; but Fulk had placed his
brother as Governor, who refused to comply with these
demands, whereupon Fulk was excommunicated, and the
castle besieged and taken. The Governor and sixteen of his
men were subsequently hanged, and when Fulk was at last
prevailed upon to submit himself to judgment, his life was
spared in consideration of his past faithful services, but all
his estates were forfeited. In the meantime Margaret had
not been idle. She had been compelled to marry Fulk
against her will, and now succeeded in obtaining a divorce,
whereupon she married a third husband, Robert de Aguillon,
Lord of Addington. Her son and grandson, and the infant
son of the latter having all died in her lifetime, Isabella, the
only sister of the grandson, became heiress, she being then
the wife of the third Earl of Albemarle.
Isabella had several children by the Earl of Albemarle, all
of whom died young, except a daughter named Aveline,
married to Edmund Crouchback, second son of Henry III.,
and afterwards Earl of .Lancaster. By him she had no
15—2
228 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
children, and died at Stockwell. King Edward had flattered
himself that this marriage would bring back the Isle of
Wight into the Royal Family ; but his wish being frustrated
by the death of Aveline without issue, the King entered into
a treaty with Isabella for the purchase of it, together with
the Manor of Lambeth and Faukshall, and a conveyance
was executed for 20,000 marks, to which 6,000 marks of
silver were added for a further deed to rectify a mistake
in the first. By the last-mentioned deed in 1293 she con-
veyed to the King the Isle of Wight, together with other
estates in Hants, the Manor of Lambyth (Stockwell), and
a manor in Lambyth called La Sale Faukes. This convey-
ance was executed on her death-bed, and it was hinted that
it had been fraudulently obtained inasmuch as Isabella had
constantly refused to part with her ancient inheritance. The
heir-at-law, Hugh Courtney, Baron of Okehampton, claimed
the Isle of Wight, and petitioned King Edward II. that it
might be restored to him. The King hereupon directed an
inquiry by what means these lands came into the hands of
his father. The claimant did not succeed in his suit, and
the King retained this manor as well as that of Kennington.
About this time a survey was taken of the manor, which shows
that land in Streatham was included in the Manor of Vauxhall.
It consisted then of ' a capital messuage, 74 acres of arable
land, 32 of meadow, a water-mill in Micham, for which
the prior of Merton gave 2is. per annum, also in Micham,
Strethain, and South Lambeth 17 free tenants, 28 customary
tenants, etc.' In the same year that this survey was taken the
manor was granted with Kennington, to Roger Damorie and
Elizabeth his wife, and the heirs of the body of Roger, which
grant was confirmed in the following year. On the attainder
of this Roger the King seized his estates, but ordered them
to be delivered to Elizabeth his widow. This order does
not seem to have extended to Kennington or Vauxhall, as
the former was granted to Spenser, who in 1324 had a grant
of Vauxhall. The Spensers died in 1327, after which
Elizabeth probably recovered some of her estates, as we find
STREATHAM COMMON 229
from a record of 1330 that land was held of her as the Lady
of the Manor of Faukeshall. Elizabeth de Burgh in 1338
exchanged the manors of Kennington and Vauxhall for those
of Ilketesshall and Clopton in Suffolk, which belonged to the
King. In the same year the King granted this manor to
his son, Edward the Black Prince, and a few years after-
wards, viz., in 1354, tne Prince granted it to the monks of
Canterbury. On the suppression of monasteries Henry VI I L
in 1542 gave this manor, with that of Walworth, to the
Dean and Chapter of Canterbury.* The manorial rights
were still vested in them, or, rather, in the Ecclesiastical
Commissioners, when they were purchased, as far as Streatham
Common is concerned, by the late Metropolitan Board of
Works, whose successors, the London County Council, now
have charge of the common. By the provisions of the
Metropolitan Commons Supplemental Act, 1884, the Lords
of the Manor sold their rights, except as to minerals, for the
nominal sum of £5, and they were also empowered to enclose
and appropriate a small strip of the common. A movement
is now on foot to purchase this strip, which is well timbered,
and add it to the common.
The popularity of Streatham Common is not of modern
growth. It came into public favour many years ago for
a cause which we will proceed to detail. Epsom salts have
become a household medicine, but it is a curious fact that
200 years ago Streatham had its mineral springs, which
might have made this little village a rival to the fashionable
haunts of Bath and Cheltenham. A drawback to their
popularity evidently lay in the fact that their nearness to
London made them particularly accessible. If they had
only been in some distant Alpine village, many gouty old
gentlemen and rheumatic ladies might still have resorted
hither, but such is the perversity of human nature that it
despises that which is near at hand. The first account
of these mineral springs is given by Aubrey. Writing in
1673, he says : ' The medicinal springs here are in the
* Allen, * History of Lambeth,' 1827, pp. 263-270.
230 OPEN SPACES' OF LONDON
ground east of the green (i.e., Streatham Common) ; they
have a mawkish taste ; they were first discovered about
fourteen years back, and this is the third year they have
been commonly drank. It is a cold, weeping, and rushy clay
ground. In hot weather it shoots a kind of salt or alum
on the clay, as in the sour grounds in North Wiltshire ; it
turns milk for a possett. Five or six cups is the most they
drink ; but the common dose is three, which are equivalent
to nine of Epsom.'* He was told by a locksmith that,
being very ill, his doctor had ordered him to drink the
Epsom waters, which he did, receiving no benefit ; but
after trying those of Streatham, he was restored to health.
Aubrey also informs us that ' they are good for the sight,
a Taylor having his sight restored by their use.' The story
of their discovery is of interest. It appears that while some
horses were ploughing on the field in which they were
situated, the ground gave way suddenly, and the consequent
inspection led to their being found. But the owner apparently
objected to the discovery being made known, and some
considerable time elapsed before they came into use.t This
is not the only well in the district to which healing virtues
are attributed. A spring at Vauxhall, known as the Vauxhall
Well, was supposed to be very efficacious in the treatment
of eye diseases. Its waters, moreover, had never been
known to freeze.
The report of these cures was quickly noised about with
the result that Streatham Spa soon became a fashionable
resort. The learned physicians of the time analyzed the
waters, and reported favourably upon them. The natural
beauties of Streatham Common and its surroundings added
to the attraction^ and in spite of the wells changing hands
frequently, they came into great favour. Their reputation
was at its height at the beginning of the eighteenth century,
and by this time the common and the high road had become
fashionable promenades where all the leaders of society
* Aubrey, * History of Surrey.'
f Arnold, * History of Streatham,' pp. 96, 97.
STREATHAM COMMON 231
might be met. The road which had before been trodden
by Roman legions now groaned under the weight of the
cumbrous family coaches bearing their wealthy occupants
to this rural Bethesda. For the accommodation of the
numerous visitors, the large house facing the common, now
known as ' The Rookery,' was rebuilt and enlarged, while
the remembrance of the wells is still kept alive by the
adjacent ' Wellfield House.' At the present time may be
seen in the kitchen garden of ' The Rookery,' the residence
of Sir Kingsmill Key, all that remains of these once celebrated
wells. A little house enclosing the pump over the well,
which is 35 feet deep, is the sole relic of the glorious past.
In the height of the season of 1701, concerts were given at
the spa twice a week, which made the crowd of visitors as
gay and as frivolous as their ailments would allow. The
use of the waters was by no means confined to the locality,
as they were supplied to many of the leading London
hospitals, and to many coffee-houses, as will be seen from
the following advertisement :
'The true Streatham waters, fresh every morning, only
at Child's Coffee House, in St. Paul's Churchyard ; Nando's
Coffee House, near Temple Bar ; the Garter Coffee House,
behind the Royal Exchange ; the Salmon ; and at the Two
Black Boys in Stock's Market. Whoever buys it at any
other place will be imposed upon.
' N.B. — All gentlemen and ladies may find good entertain-
ment at the Wells aforesaid, by Thomas Lambert.'*
These were in the palmy days of Streatham Spa. With
the growth of many other springs in more distant parts,
Streatham began to fall into decay, and its downfall was
hastened by the closing of the house of ' good entertain-
ment.' Slowly but surely the good old days passed away,
and though an attempt was made to stem the tide by
opening a new well at the bottom of Wells Lane, the spa
has passed into oblivion. The advent of railways made
* Postboy, June 8, 1717.
232 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
these distant waters within easy reach of the Metropolisr
and the rumbling of the clumsy coaches on their way to
this once famous spa has long since ceased.
The common has been the scene of some petty riots in
the same way as its neighbour Tooting, arising from the
encroachment of the Lord of the Manor on the rights of
the tenants. On one occasion a mob of people met on the
common, and set the heath furze on fire. The conflagration
was tremendous, but the neighbours rather promoted than
lent any assistance for extinguishing it. It seems that the
Duke of Bedford used to let the poor have the furze, but
this year (1794) he sold it for £80. His agent, by His Grace's
orders, took in some ground from the common which was
formerly used for the poor people's cattle ; and in the
evening a hackney coach drove to the spot, when six men,
draped in black and crapes over their faces, got out of the
carriage, cut down the paled enclosure, returned into the
coach, and drove off.*
A racy story is told of a former resident on the common,
whose name, of course, we cannot mention. This worthy
conceived a unique scheme for escaping His Majesty's dues.
He bought up an enormous quantity of kid gloves abroad,
and then told his agent to send all the left-handed gloves
to England. On their arrival, as no one claimed and paid
the duty, they in due time were put up to auction at the
docks. Our friend bid for them, and as no one entered the
contest for an apparently worthless article of commerce, he
got them for almost nothing. The right-handed gloves were
sent soon after with the same result, and a magnificent
profit resulted. t This is not the only case on record where
Streathamites have defrauded the national purse, for there
is a tradition that the house adjoining the common known
as ' The Rookery,' which we have before mentioned in
connection with the mineral springs, was once the residence
of another less scheming smuggler, who warehoused his
* Gentleman 's Magazine, May 4, 1794.
f Arnold, ' History of Streatham,' p. 215.
STREATHAM COMMON
233-
goods here till he could find a market for them. The cellars
here far exceed the wants of any private inhabitant, and
this seems to give a fair amount of truth to the story.*
The common gently slopes from the highroad to a ridge,
which affords magnificent views of the charming country
round. It is said that Woolwich, Stanmore, and Windsor
are to be seen from it. The lower part of the common is
~
A View on Streatham Common in the Eighteenth Century.
open and available for games, and would be comparatively
bare but for the trees on the adjoining properties. The
upper portion, formerly called Lime Common, is covered
with a dense undergrowth. Wild roses, brambles, furze
and bracken here flourish in profusion, and the giant trees
in clumps and avenues, combined with the rural surround-
* Arnold, ( History of Streatham,' p. 98.
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
ings, make up a typical scene of Surrey beauty. Dr. Johnson's
favourite walk was to go from Mrs. Thrale's house across
the common to the top, and then down the field-path towards
Norbury, and so home again. His most ardent admirer
could not call him a lover of Nature, but he certainly made
an excellent choice here. It was doubtless owing to its
lofty situation that this spot was chosen for one of the
series of beacon fires which were lit on the night of June 21,
1887, to celebrate our Queen's Jubilee. These beacon fires
were started on the Malvern Hills at 10 p.m., and were seen
from Cottington Hill, Hants. From Streatham Common
the fires seemed like so many glow-worms shining in the
warm night.
Visitors to the common may have noticed a portion of
the cricket - ground zealously guarded by iron posts and
chains. This is the cricket ground specially reserved for
local clubs under the Act, so that the interests of Streathamites
are not lost sight of. The common boasts of a horse-ride
and a bandstand on the higher ground, and also two small
ponds. There was formerly a cage on the common erected
between 1740 and 1760 for the confinement of loose and
disorderly persons.* The view of the common in the last
'century which we give also shows a small cottage close to
the pond.
Lord Beaconsfield, in one of his books, pointed out that
the environs of London were more beautiful than those of
any other city in Europe. Among these, Streatham and
its common are by no means in the rear rank, and those
who are ' cribbed, cabined, and confined ' in our smoky
London may well be enticed hither by the attractions they
afford.
* Arnold, ' History of Streatham,' p. 209.
CHAPTER XII.
WANDSWORTH COMMON.
WANDSWORTH COMMON is another of those
fine open spaces of which South London can
boast. It is within easy reach of Clapham
and Tooting Commons, and Putney Heath,
which together make up an extensive area of open land,
which must be very beneficial to the neighbourhoods in
which they are situate. Many of the old houses which
formerly surrounded this common have been pulled down,
and their grounds let out for building estates, so that on
many sides whole towns of small houses are brought up to
its very edge. Perhaps none of the Metropolitan commons
have suffered so much from encroachments as this. It was
once the principal tract of waste land in the large Manor of
Battersea and Wandsworth, which extended from Clapham
to Wimbledon; but the 183 acres which remain are but a
fragment of the original common, and they are terribly cut
about by railways and highways. This is all the more to be
regretted because we can gather from the scattered portions
which are left, what the beauties of the whole must have
been. Still there are several picturesque little ' bits ' of
Nature which yet remain in spite of the incursions of the
iron road. The small sheet of water known as the Three
Island Pond is a little gem, and the furze which covers the
common in many places adds much rural charm, whilst the
stump of an old windmill in one portion forms an excellent
background to an artist's picture. In parts where there is
236
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
no furze, and the ground is sufficiently level, games are
allowed, and in frosty weather a large lake is available for
skating in addition to the pond before mentioned.
The common was acquired first of all in 1871 by a body
of conservators from Earl Spencer, the Lord of the Manor.
The facts which chiefly brought this about were the dis-
graceful and neglected condition of the common, together
with the numerous enclosures, which threatened to swallow
The Three Island Pond, Wandsworth Common.
up the whole of the open space. After much correspondence
and local agitation, the Wandsworth Common Act, 1871, was
obtained, mainly through the exertions of Sir Henry W.
Peek, Bart., the Parliamentary representative of the division
at that time, who was well supported by an influential com-
mittee. This Act vested the control of the common in a
body of conservators, and not only provided for its future
maintenance, but also dealt with the important matter of
WANDSWORTH COMMON 237
past encroachments. Section 42 provides that ' In order
that this Act may be a final settlement of all questions and
claims connected with the lands formerly part of Wands-
worth Common . . . those lands shall henceforth be and
the same are hereby released and discharged from all
commonable, customary and other rights and claims of the
commoners.' Lord Spencer has been subjected to con-
siderable abuse in connection with Wandsworth Common,
and it is only fair to him to record what many of his critics
conveniently forget, that he generously surrendered his
manorial rights in return for a perpetual annuity of £250.
This amount was raised by levying a local rate. In 1887
the duties of the conservators were transferred to the London
County Council's predecessors by the Metropolitan Board
of Works (Various Powers) Act, 1887, and it is generally
admitted that the state of the common has not suffered
thereby.
When the common was first placed under public control
in 1871, it was more of a nuisance than a place of recreation
and enjoyment. Its surface was bare, muddy and sloppy
after a little rain, undrained, and almost devoid of trees or
seats. It was covered with huge gravel-pits, many of them
full of stagnant water, which, in addition to being very
offensive, constituted a positive source of danger owing to
their great depth and want of protection.
One portion was the resort of gipsy vans and tents, one of
whose occupants has been immortalized in a picture by
C. R. Leslie, R.A., painted about 1830. The following
story is told about this gipsy beauty :
' There is a very small tent about the middle of Wands-
worth Common ; it belongs to a lone female whom one
frequently meets wandering, seeking an opportunity to
dukker (tell fortunes) to some credulous servant girl. It is
hard that she should have to do so, as she is more than
seventy-five years of age, but if she did not she would prob-
ably starve. She is very short of stature, being little more
than five feet and an inch high, but she is wonderfully strong
238 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
built. Her face is broad, with a good-humoured expression
upon it, and in general with very little vivacity ; at times,,
however, it lights up, and then all the gipsy beams forth.
Old as she is, her hair, which is very long, is as black as the
plumage of a crow, and she walks sturdily, and if requested
would take up the heaviest man in Wandsworth and walk
away with him. She is upon the whole the oddest gipsy
woman ever seen ; see her once and you will never forget
her. Who is she? Why, Mrs. Cooper the wife of Jack
Cooper, the fighting gipsy, once the terror of all the light
weights of the English ring, who knocked West Country
Dick to pieces and killed Paddy O'Leary, the " Pot Boy,"
Jack Randall's pet. Ah it would have been well for Jack if
he had always stuck to his true lawful Romany wife, whom
at one time he was very fond of, and whom he used to dress
in silks and satins, and best scarlet cloth, purchased with the
money gained in his fair, gallant battles in the ring.'*
A characteristic song was written on her in the original
Romany of which the translation runs :
' Charlotte Cooper is my name,
I am a real old Lee ;
My husband was Jack Cooper,
The fighting Romany.
He left me for a shameful girl
Who stole a purse, while he
Took all the blame, and all the shame,
And went beyond the sea.'
A gipsy encampment forms a romantic subject for a picture,,
but the reality is quite a different thing, and Wandsworth
is quite willing to sacrifice the romance in losing these
unwelcome visitors.
A large amount of money has been expended in improving
Wandsworth Common, and its present condition will com-
pare favourably with other large open spaces. Though
lacking the picturesque combination of hill, dale, and thicket
that maybe enjoyed on its neighbour, Wimbledon Common,.
* Mr. George Borrow in ' Lavo Lil.'
WANDSWORTH COMMON 239.
it still possesses beauties of its own. When the bright golden
blossoms of the gorse mantle its somewhat scarred surface,
we cannot help remembering that Linnaeus worshipped that
flower when he saw it in full bloom on Putney Heath.
The origin of the name of Wandsworth is very apparent.
Its various forms of Wandesore, Wandelesorde are corrup-
tions of Wandlesworth, which is the worth, or village, on the
river Wandle which passes through it.
In the parish of Wandsworth there are, or were, four
manors — Dunsfold, Downe or Downe-Bys, Allfarthing, and
Battersea and Wandsworth. The common is the waste
land attached to this latter manor.* The other manors have
no commonable land remaining, but it is said that a con-
siderable portion of the original common in the Manor of
Allfarthing was enclosed by the lord at the beginning of this
century. This manor appears to have belonged to the
baronial family of Molins, and at different periods afterwards
was part of the possessions of the Monastery of Westminster,
and then of Hampton Court. It was leased by Henry VIII.
in 1534 for sixty years to Thomas, Lord Cromwell, who
assigned the lease to Elizabeth Draper, widow. This manor
was among the lands settled in 1625 upon Charles I. when
Prince of Wales, and was leased for ninety-nine years to Sir
Henry Hobart and others, under whom Endymion Porter,
Gentleman of the Bed-chamber, and one of the favourite
attendants of King Charles, took a lease. He afterwards
procured the reversion of the remainder of the original lease,
and his descendant had the fee simple of the manor granted
to him.f The Mr. Porter, who was Lord of the Manor
when the alleged enclosure of the common was made, sold it
in 1811 to Rev. Mr. White, who in turn disposed of it to
Lord Spencer.J
Long before the incorporation of a body of conservators
to protect the commoners' rights, the question of encroach-
* For descent of this manor, see p. 3.
f Lysons, ' Environs of London,' vol. i., pp. 380, 38 1.
| Brayley and Britton's ' Surrey,' vol. iii., part ii., p. 492.
^40 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
merits upon the common land had become sufficiently serious
to engage the attention of the inhabitants. About 1760 a
Tdnd of club was formed by those living near that part of
Wandsworth Common which adjoins Garratt Lane, in order
to watch over their interests in the waste land of the manor.
They were mostly people in humble circumstances, but they
agreed at every meeting to contribute a small sum for the
defence of their rights. In the event of any attempted
filching of the common land, proceedings were taken against
the offender, which in most cases were successful. The
president of this association was called the ' Mayor of
Garratt*,' and connected with his installation are some of
the most curious of parochial reminiscences.* The ' mayor '
was chosen after each General Election, and the chief require-
ments in the candidates appear to have been an unlimited
capacity for talking, and some personal deformity or
peculiarity. When a party spirit was introduced into the
election, and the facetious members of the club turned it
into a burlesque of a Parliamentary contest, polling-day
became quite an event in all the villages round about. The
publicans, with a keen eye to business, subscribed for a
purse in order ' to give it character,' and a very bad character
it was at the best of times. The fight for the post of ' mayor '
has its own chronicler, who writes that ' none but those who
have seen a London mob on any great holiday can form a
just idea of these elections. On several occasions 100,000
persons, half of them in carts, in . hackney coaches, and
on horse and ass back, covered the various roads from
London, and choked up all the approaches to the place
of election. At the two last elections I was told that the
road within a mile of Wandsworth was so blocked up by
vehicles, that none could move backward or forward during
many hours, and that the candidates dressed like chimney-
sweepers on May-day, or in the mock fashion of the period,
were brought to the hustings in the carnages of peers drawn
* " «How the Battle of Wandsworth Common was Fought and Won,'
p. i. Reprinted from the Mid-Surrey Gazette.
WANDSWORTH COMMON 241
by six horses, the owners themselves condescending to
become their drivers.'* In addition to this honour conferred
upon the candidates, it is said that Foote, Garrick, and
Wilkes wrote their addresses. Foote, who was present at
the election in 1761, made it the subject of a farce, ' The
Mayor of Garratt,' which was produced at the Haymarket.
The electors on this occasion were the mob,, and the electoral
oath was taken on a brickbat. The chosen of the people
was dubbed knight and M.P., and as these worthy ' mayors '
are so intimately connected with Wandsworth Common,
a passing note on those whose history has been handed
down to us may not be out of place. The first was ' Sir '
John Harper, a man of wit, who combined the hawking
of brick -dust with the mayoralty of Garratt. He was
succeeded by ' Sir ' Jeffrey Dunstan, who held the post
during three Parliaments, whose trade was that of buying
old wigs — an occupation now obsolete. He was so enthu-
siastic in his defence of his constituents and his attack on
the corruptions of power that he was prosecuted, tried, and
imprisoned for using seditious expressions. The next and
last ' mayor ' was ' Sir ' Harry Dimsdale, a muffin-seller,
who died before he could stand a second time, and the
election was suppressed in 1796. f
An attempt was made, though without success, to revive
the farce in 1826. Electoral addresses were put forward
in favour of ' Sir John Paul Pry,' ' Sir Hugh Allsides ' (a
beadle of a neighbouring church), and ' Sir Robert Needale,'
described as ' a friend to the ladies who attend Wandsworth
Fair'; but the authorities intervened and prevented the
election. J
No doubt as time went on the purpose for which the
' mayor ' was originally chosen became a secondary one,
but this is certain : that after the office was abolished, there
was no organization to prevent enclosures of common land,
* Sir Richard Phillips, * A Morning's Walk to Kew,' 1817, p. 8r.
t Robert Chambers, ' Book of Days.'
| Hone, ' Every-day Book,' vol. ii., col. 819-866.
16
o
WANDSWORTH COMMON 243
and as a consequence Wandsworth Common suffered severely.
A sort of tradition lingers that the persons most resolute
against these encroachments, after vainly trying to prevent
others appropriating, at last quieted their own consciences
by enclosing portions for their own benefit. From 1794-
1866 there have been fifty- three enclosures of areas varying
from a quarter to 96 acres.*
One of the largest parcels of land enclosed from the
common is that upon which the buildings of the Royal
Victoria Patriotic Asylum stand. These were erected as
part of the scheme for the relief of the families of those who
might fall in the Crimean War. A commission was ap-
pointed with the Prince Consort at its head in November,
1854, and large sums were collected from this country and
the colonies, amounting in the total to £1,460,861. This was
made up of contributions from all grades of society. The
Commissioners reported that ' artisans, domestic servants,
workpeople, labourers, individually and in associations, have
felt a patriotic pride and a generous satisfaction in answer-
ing their Sovereign's appeal. In one striking instance the
inmates of the Reformatory Asylum, Smith Street, West-
-minster, having literally nothing of their own to give, denied
themselves a meal that its value might be offered as their
gift. 'We deem it a fact deserving your Majesty's notice,
that even the children of the poorer classes have very
generally contributed their " mite " to enlarge the amount
of the nation's bounty.'! Out of the large sum received
£200,000 was appropriated towards founding an asylum for
300 orphan girls, and as a site for its erection 55 acres of
Wandsworth Common were purchased from Lord Spencer
for £3,700. The architect was Mr. Rhode Hawkins, and
the building is a free imitation of Heriot's Hospital, Edin-
burgh, with the omission of the ornamental details.]: The
* Mr. J. C. Buckmaster in the Daily News, November 30, 1886.
f First Report of the Royal Commissioners of the Patriotic Fund,
1858, p. ii.
\ Thorne, 'Environs of London,' part ii., p. 665.
1 6 — 2
244 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
first stone was laid by Her Majesty in person on July n,
1857. A similar institution for boys was commenced in
1871 upon part of the land of the girls' school. It was
intended to teach them gardening, and to cultivate the
ground so as to produce sufficient vegetables for the boys
and girls ; but as the cultivation resulted in a loss, and the
number of legitimate candidates for admission fell off, the
boys' school and grounds were sold for £30,000 under the
provisions of the Patriotic Fund Act, 1881. This is still
continued as a boarding and day school under the name
of Emmanuel School.
The remaining land of the girls' school was let to a
contractor, who conducted an extensive vehicular traffic over
a portion of the common in order to gain access to public
roads. It is needless to say that this carting caused grievous
damage to the turf, gorse, and footpaths. Representations
were made to the Patriotic Fund Commissioners as to the
damage and annoyance occasioned by their tenant ; but as
these resulted in nothing, a lawsuit was commenced against
them by the Wandsworth Common Conservators. Before
this action could be heard, Parliament transferred the control
of the common to the late Metropolitan Board of Works.
That Board, after considerable delay and some legal diffi-
culties, revived the action, and it was still pending when
the London County Council came into office. After dragging
on for some years a compromise was at length arrived at,
by which the carting across the common was stopped, and
a sum of £200 was paid by the London County Council
towards the cost of forming a new road over other land.
Another huge block of buildings adjacent to the common
constitutes the Surrey House of Correction, built in 1851.
This brick and stone erection makes provision for 1,000
convicted criminals, writh all appliances for ensuring order
and discipline among the inmates.* Some seventy years
before this was built, there had been a proposal to establish
a prison at Wandsworth, but in view of the opposition it
* Thorne, ' Environs of London,' part ii., p. 666.
WANDSWORTH COMMON 245
met with, the scheme was entirely laid aside. In front of
the prison are 10 acres of common land, acquired in 1861 by
the justices of Surrey to prevent its being built upon. The
London County Council have secured the manorial rights in
this and another plot of land at the southern end of the
common.
The land close to Wandsworth Common Station, to the
south of the common is part of an enclosure of 20 acres
made in 1846 for the purpose of the industrial schools of
St. James's, Westminster. Much of this has unfortunately
been built upon, and there is no chance of its being restored
to the common.
At a short distance south of the prison on land part of the
common which has since been restored, the Rev. John
Craig built a gigantic telescope, 85 feet in length, but very
imperfect. This instrument was the largest which had been
constructed up to that time, and was completed in' 1852.
The tube, which could be placed in almost any position for
celestial observation, was supported at each end, and was
slung at the side of a massive central tower 64 feet high,
while the lower end of the tube rested on a support running
on a circular railway. Not fulfilling the original expecta-
tion of its proprietor, it was taken down and removed some
years ago.*
When the control of the common was transferred to the
conservators, Lord Spencer reserved to himself a portion at
the north adjoining the London and South-Western Railway
main line on which was a sheet of ornamental water called
the Black Sea, which was studded with thirteen small islands,
and beautified with shrubs and flowers. This lake was
formed by a Mr. Wilson, the founder of Price's Candle
Works, who lived at Black Sea House. For every child
added to his family, he constructed a little island in the lake,
fringing each with yellow iris. In the Act for the construc-
tion of the railway, the Black Sea was called Pond No. 3,
and was said to be the property of Battersea and Wands-
* ' Old and New London,' vol. vi., p. 482.
246 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
worth, and by this Act the Company were compelled to place
apart the sum of £8,000 for the purpose of covering the bed
of the pond with clay, and making a drain into it from the
cutting, and keeping it in good condition. Shortly after-
wards in another Act certain sections enabled the Company
to withdraw this sum, but still they were bound to repair
and keep intact the pond and drain on both sides of the
railway. The Black Sea has now been filled up, and Spencer
Park has been built upon its site so that one of the most
picturesque and ornamental waters near London has dis-
appeared. The old windmill, of which the stump remains
(which is utilized as a toolshed by the labourers on the
common), was used for the purpose of pumping water into
the Black Sea.
At the parting of the roads to Clapham and Vauxhall are
the offices of the Board of Works, the site of which was a
roadside pond down to about 1863, when it was enclosed
and planted with lime-trees. Behind these, nearer the
common, is a very ancient but small burial-ground — the
Huguenots' Cemetery. When the French Protestants came
over to England upon the revocation of the Edict of Nantes,
a small community settled at Wandsworth, and maintained
themselves by dyeing silk and making hats. For their
worship they rented and enlarged the old Presbyterian chapel
in High Street, where service was performed in French for
over a century. In this graveyard there are remains of many
old gravestones of Frenchmen, but on the later ones are
many English names, showing that in course of time the
Huguenot element became absorbed in the surrounding
population.*
Adjoining the St. Mark's portion of the common are the
buildings of the Royal Masonic Institution for girls, erected
in 1852 from the designs of Mr. Philip Hardwick, R.A.
The tall clock-tower forms a very conspicuous object in the
landscape. This institution, which is supported entirely by
voluntary contributions, was founded on March 25, 1788, at
* Thorne, * Environs of London,' part ii., p. 664.
WANDSWORTH COMMON
247
the suggestion of the Chevalier Bartholomew Ruspini,
surgeon-dentist to George IV. Since its establishment
nearly 2,000 girls have been provided with education, cloth-
ing, and maintenance. A school-house was erected in 1793,
near the Obelisk, St. George's Fields, on ground belonging
to the Corporation of London, the lease of which expired in
1851. Subsequently the present site of nearly 3 acres was
purchased at a cost of £"1,075, and the buildings erected for a
further £7,272. Later additions have been made, the principal
of which is the ' Alexandra ' Hall, named after the Princess
of Wales, who was present with the Prince at the inaugura-
248 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
tion ceremony on March 12, 1891. The funds for this were
raised at the centenary festival held in 1888 at the Royal
Albert Hall, when the Prince of Wales, the King of Sweden
and Norway, and the late Duke of Clarence were amongst
those present. The subscription - list on this occasion
amounted to over £51,500.*
Although most of the old mansions which formerly over-
looked the common have been pulled down, and their
grounds turned into building estates, there are a few left
here and there to remind us of the time when the surround-
ings of the common were as rural as parts of the village still
are, in spite of all the modern improvements. There is a
cluster of these houses on the north side of Wandsworth
Common, close by the Huguenots' Cemetery. ' The Gables *
is certainly the most picturesque of these, if not the oldest.
It is now divided into two, but the division does not take
away any of its beauty. Covered from top to bottom with
creeper, and approached by an essentially English garden, it
forms a lovely picture. Of course tradition has been very
busy in trying to weave some romance around this ancient
dwelling. It is commonly reported that it was used at some
time as a nursery for some of the children of Queen Anne,
but although the records of the life of this good lady have
been most carefully searched, no trace can be found of her
ever having been at Wandsworth, so that this romantic
legend must be dismissed altogether. A fact which is much
better authenticated is that ' The Gables ' was the residence
of Francis Grose, F.S.A., the learned and jovial antiquary.
The recklessness of his early life stands out in striking con-
trast to the care and attention required by his learned calling.
He was a native of Greenford, in Middlesex, where he was
born in 1730 or 1731. He was well provided for by his
father, who obtained a position for him in the Heralds'
College, where he attained to the dignity of Richmond Herald.
In 1763 he sold this office for 600 guineas, and entered the
Surrey Militia as Paymaster and Adjutant. Some idea of the
way he carried on business may be gathered from his own
* G. B. Abbott, ' History of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls.'
WANDSWORTH COMMON 249
statement that he kept but two books, ' his right and left
hand breeches pocket,' took no vouchers, and gave no
receipts. Eventually his accounts showed a serious deficiency,
which had to be made good out of his own pocket. This
calamity roused his energies, and led him to develop the
talent for drawing which he possessed. He devoted himself
to the study of the then standing ' Antiquities of England
and Wales,' under which title he brought out a costly book,
which proved successful and profitable. This was followed
by the ' Antiquities of Scotland,' and during his stay in
Scotland he made the acquaintance of Robert Burns, who
describes him as
' A fine fat fodgel wight
Of stature short, but genius bright.'
Grose produced several other works of standard merit, and
he intended to bring out the ' Antiquities of Ireland,' but he
died at Dublin in 1791, before he could complete his task.*
Bolingbroke Grove, which forms the eastern boundary of
the common for a considerable distance, was formerly known
as Five House Lane, from the five houses at its commence-
ment. The only one of these now standing is the Boling-
broke Hospital. In the last of these resided Sir John
Gorst, Q.C., before he was knighted, a fact which has
not been forgotten in the naming of Gorst Road on its
site. The network of roads bordering on this side of the
common has taken the place of some large mansions with
extensive grounds, but their inhabitants did not acquire
fame outside their own particular circle. On the western
boundary are, or were, Burntwood House, Lodge and Grange
and Collamore. Some of the present and past occupiers of
these houses came into prominence with regard to the many
legal actions which took place owing to the attempted
encroachments upon the common. The conservatories and
grounds of Burntwood Grange have been singled out by the
author of Bohn's ' Pictorial Hand-book of London ' for special
description and praise as being some of the most remarkable
for their size in and around London.
* ' Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography,' vol. ii., p. 739.
CHAPTER XIII.
BETHNAL GREEN GARDENS.
THE gardens included under this heading are situated
in the Cambridge Road, at the junction of Bethnal
Green Road with Green Street. They comprise in
all 9 acres — 2j for the northern or museum section,
and 6| for the southern. These lands are the remains of an
estate of 15 J acres, originally part of the extensive common -
able waste lands of the Manor of Stebonheath, or Stepney,
which have now, with few exceptions, been built over. To
prevent a similar fate befalling these 15 J acres, a number of
• persons joined together and purchased them from the Lady
of the Manor, Philadelphia, Lady Wentworth, in 1667. As
these contributors of the original purchase-money did not
live at Bethnal Green, the lands were made the subject of a
trust-deed dated December 13, 1690, by which they were
-conveyed to twenty-seven local trustees, in order that they
might the better supervise the administration of the estate,
and the proper distribution of the profits. From this deed
many interesting particulars can be gathered relating to the
estate, the proceeds of which were to be given to the poor,
from which fact the lands were identified as the Bethnal
Green Poor's Lands. The deed reminds us that 1690 was ' the
second yeare of the reigne of our Sovereign Lord and Lady
William and Mary, by the Grace of God, of England, Scot-
land, France, and Ireland King and Queen, Defenders of the
Faith.' One of the sections gives particulars of the cost
-and the names of the contributors, which certainly deserve
BETHNAL GREEN GARDENS 251
to be recorded. In considering the amount of their dona-
tions, it must be borne in mind that the value of money has
greatly increased since this time :
' The purchase of which said waste ground and inclosure
of the said closes and other incident charges did amount
unto the sums of £332 2s. jod.,* towards which charges the
said Thomas Rider did freely contribute £20, the said Rogor
Gillingham £20, the said William Sedgewicke £20, the said
Samuel Stanier £20, the said John Goldsborough £10,
Richard Warner, late of London, grocer, £10, the said
Joseph Blissett £10, the said Sussannah Andrewes £10,
David Clarkson, late of London, clerk, £5, Ffrancis Howell
£2, the said Thomas Walton £2, William Gill, late of
Bethnall Green, gent., £2, in all the sum of £131. The
remainder of the charges — being £201 2s. lod. — was raised
out of the rents, issues and profits of the premises.'
The first yearly distribution was made in the months of
November and December, 1685, and consisted ' of 12 chaldrons
of coals and £12 in money (equally divided) to 24 families of
the said Hamlett (i.e., Bethnal Green) that neither received
pension nor paid to the poor, amounting to £25 43.,' and
-of the balance of the profits for that year ' there was £8
disbursed in providing and setting up the monument and
four dialls upon the watch house of Bethnall Green and
£g los. more distributed in coals and money to 19 other poor
familys,' and the balance remainder £4 135. 2d. was in hand
* towards drawing, engrossing and enrolling these Deeds and
Conveyances.'
The next clause is a very important one, in that it proves that
in laying out the residue of Poor's Lands as a public garden,
the original object of the purchasers has been preserved :
' . . . the said waste grounds were purchased and the greatest
part of them have been since enclosed for the prevention of any
new buildings thereon, and to and for the yearly reliefe of the
poor.' It is provided that the profits of leasing the lands,
subject to the payment of the necessary expenses, shall be
* Lysons says ,£200 of this was for the land.
252 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
devoted to the maintenance of the paths, gates, and stiles r
etc., the cost of leases, etc., and the distribution of coals and
money to the poor.
Of the 15^ acres which originally made up the Poor's
Lands, 4^ were appropriated for the site of the Bethnal Green
Museum. This land was sold by the trustees under Parlia-
mentary powers in 1868 for the sum of £2,000, the conditions
including a proviso that all the space not actually covered by
the museum buildings should be thrown open to the public as
a recreation-ground. This was the first portion of the Poor's
Land dedicated to public use, and was maintained by the
Government under the name of Bethnal Green Museum
Garden. This was subsequently in 1887 transferred with
Battersea, Victoria, and Kennington Parks to the late
Metropolitan Board of Works under the London Parks and
Works Act, 1887. Previously to this a part had been taken
as a site for St. John's Church and Vicarage, Bethnal Green..
At the beginning of the present century the amount produced
from the charity was about £60.* In 1890 this had increased
to £517 135., made up as follows : £430 for the open land
which was leased to the proprietors of the asylum at Bethnal
House, £3 for a strip of ground forming part of the forecourt
of houses in Victoria Park Square, and £84 135. dividends
on stock which had been purchased out of the moneys realized
by the sale of land.t
The Poor's Lands were held under this trust-deed of 1690
for nearly 200 years, the proceeds being spent in charitable
purposes as we have seen. But changes were proposed by a
majority of the trustees, because it was thought that a larger
income could be secured by selling the land for building pur-
poses and investing the proceeds ; seeing that the value of land
in close proximity to London has increased so enormously.
As the trustees were expressly prohibited from building upon
the land, it was necessary for them to apply to the Charity
Commissioners to frame a new scheme, which was done in
* Lysons, 'Environs of London,' 1811 edition, vol. ii., part i., p. 23.
f Schedule to the scheme of the Charity Commissioners.
BETHNAL GREEN GARDENS 253
February, 1888. The draft scheme formulated by the Com-
missioners and agreed to by the trustees, if made law, would
have empowered the latter body to sell to the local Board
the whole of the remaining land as sites. for an infirmary, a
public hall, and a free library, for a sum' of £18,000, out of
which a grant of £4,500 might be given toward the cost of
the library, a similar condition being imposed to that in
the case of the northern section, viz., that any land not used
for building purposes should be devoted to the public as a
recreation-ground. This proposed scheme was vigorously
opposed both by the London County Council and the
Metropolitan Gardens Association, and after lengthy negotia-
tions the clause relating to buildings was entirely struck out,
and the final scheme established by law, February 27, 1891,
provides that ' the trustees shall, with the approval of the
Charity Commissioners, and upon terms such as to secure a
sufficient benefit to the poor . . . forthwith grant to the
County Council of the Administrative County of London,
or any other public body, all the land held in trust for the
charity, provided that the said land be secured and per-
manently maintained ... as a recreation-ground accessible
to the inhabitants of the said parish.'* The scheme also
provides for the sale of part of the land to the trustees of the
neighbouring asylum, upon which they had built a counting-
house.
The terms finally agreed upon for the purchase of the
recreation-ground were £6,000. Adding to this the amount
received for the northern portion £2,000, and the land sold to
the asylum trustees £1,000, we have a total of £9,000, as
against £200 paid in 1667.
The land, as it came into the possession of the London
County Council, consisted of orchard, paddock, kitchen-
garden, and pleasure-grounds all in a rough and neglected
condition, and it therefore required to be entirely re-
modelled for public use. The principal works of laying-out
comprised the erection of an ornamental wrought-iron en-
* Section 30 of the scheme.
254 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
closing fence ; the formation of broad walks and shrubberies ;.
a sunk garden with a central fountain flanked by an extensive
rockery for the display of alpine and other suitable plants ;
the construction of a gymnasium for children, together with
other necessary buildings. The amount spent on these
improvements was over £5,000, and the gardens were publicly
opened on Whit Monday, 1895.
The parish of Bethnal Green, formerly part of the Manor
of Stepney, was separated from it in 1743. Till comparatively
recent times, it was correctly described as chiefly inhabited
by weavers of silk. It is a region of small and mean houses
closely huddled together, and the provision of an open space
here must be an incalculable boon. The older houses still
bear the traces of their former inhabitants in the wide
windows of the upper stories, so constructed in order to give
light to the weavers' looms.*
The origin of the name of Bethnal Green is not very clear.
Most writers adopt the conjecture put forward by Lysons
that it is a corruption of Bathon Hall, the supposed residence
of the family of Bathon or Bathonia, who possessed con-
siderable property at Stepney in the reign of Edward I.
One of this family, Alice de Bathon, died seised of a messuage
in Stepney in 1274, and her son, who is called John de
Bathonia, died in 1291. f
On the north of the Bethnal Green Museum are. some
houses which are built upon the site of an ancient chapel,
called in a survey of the manor in 1703 St. George's Chapel.
It is uncertain now whether this was a public place of
worship for the inhabitants, or a private chapel, perhaps
connected with the adjacent palace of the Bishops of London,,
who were Lords of the Manor. Stow says : ' In my re-
membrance another chapel of ease was on the northern part
of Bethnal Green,, but ... is now turned into houses.' One
of these, Netteswell House, according to a tablet in the wall,.
* Wheatley and Cunningham, 4 London : Past and Present,' vol. i.,,
p. 178.
f Lysons, 'Environs of London,' iSn, vol. ii., part i., p. 17.
BETHNAL GREEN GARDENS 25?
was built in 1553, and considerable restorations have been
necessary at different times in order to secure its preserva-
tion.
The Bethnal Green Museum is a branch of that at South
Kensington, and the steps which led to its erection are
rather interesting. When it was decided to build a permanent
structure at South Kensington, the Education Department
offered the temporary buildings (popularly known as the
Brompton boilers) to any London parochial authorities who
would establish a district museum. The only parish to rise
to the occasion was Bethnal Green, where a committee was
quickly formed, and sufficient funds obtained to purchase
the present site from the trustees of the Poor's Lands. When
all the arrangements were complete, the building was erected
from the designs of Major-General Scott, C.B., and opened
on June 24, 1872, by the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The structure is of red brick, with a broad frieze, whilst the
interior consists mainly of the ' boiler ' part of the temporary
exhibit, and comprises a central hall, surrounded by a double
gallery. The flooring of this hall is a mosaic pavement
formed from refuse chippings of marble, executed by female
convicts in Woking Prison. The only permanent collec-
tions here are those illustrating food and animal products,
and the utilization of so-called ' waste products ' ; but the
temporary exhibits have drawn many visitors at various
times. Among the most interesting of these may be classed
the exhibition of the Queen's Jubilee presents, the Indian
collection of the Prince of Wales, and the portraits now
housed in the National Portrait Gallery. In front of the
museum is the celebrated St. George Fountain, executed in
majolica by Mintons, which was one of the features of the
exhibition of 1862.
Between the north and south portions of the gardens are
the church and vicarage of St. John's Church, Bethnal
Green. The former is a solid-looking building in the classic
style, erected 1824-25 from the designs of Sir John Soane,
R.A., the architect of the Bank of England. This was the
256 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
first church consecrated by Bishop Blomfield, as the results
of his efforts to supply the East End with more church
accommodation. It contains sittings for 1,600.*
On the southern portion of the gardens, the chief historical
association is with the adjacent asylum, Bethnal House,
called in the survey of 1703 Bethnal Green House. This
part of the Poor's Lands was formerly leased to the trustees
of the asylum as a recreation-ground for the unfortunate
inmates. The first owner of the house was John Kirby,
a merchant of London, and it consequently received the
name of Kirby 's Castle. Fleetwood, the Recorder of London,
in a letter to the Lord Treasurer, Sir William Cecil, written
about 1758, mentions the death of 'John Kirby, who built the
fair house upon Bethnal Green, which house, lofty like a castle,
occasioned certain rhymes abusive of him and some other
city builders of great houses who had prejudiced themselves
thereby.'f
After John Kirby, the next occupant was Sir Hugh Platt,
a prolific writer, who is best remembered as the author of
' The Garden of Eden.'J
After this versatile author, we find Sir William Ryder, an
eminent citizen, well versed in naval affairs, was the next
resident. He was Deputy-Master of the Trinity House, and
a Commissioner for Tangier. Having been knighted on
March 12, 1660-1, he bought Bethnal House the same
year. From the Restoration till his death he was a person
of much importance, and in 1666 he obtained a license from
the Lord of the Manor to drive in his coach across Mile-end
Common on his way to Stepney Church. § He was evidently
a great friend of Pepys, and it is from the diary of this
ubiquitous secretary of the Admiralty that we gain our best
knowledge of Sir W. Ryder, and also some glimpses of life
* Wheatley and Cunningham, ' London : Past and Present,' vol. i.,
P 178.
t Stow, ' Survey of London,' 1755 edition, vol. i., p. 47.
| Lysons, 'Environs of London,' 1811, vol. ii., part i., p. 18.
§ Hill and Frere, ' Memoirs of Stepney Parish, p. 244 note.
BETHNAL GREEN GARDENS
257
at Bethnal Green in the seventeenth century. Pepys seems
to have attended many gay dinner-parties at Bethnal House,
the entry under June 26, 1663, telling us he went ' By coach
to Bednall Green to Sir W. Rider's to dinner. A fine merry
walk with the ladies alone after dinner in the garden ; the
greatest quantity of strawberries I ever saw, and good.
Kirby Castle, Bethnal Green (the Blind Beggar's House}.
This very house was built by the Blind Beggar of Bednall
Green, so much talked of and sung in ballads ; but they say
it was only some of the outhouses of it.' We shall have
something more to say about this legend of the blind beggar,
but this reference to strawberries in Bethnal Green is par-
ticularly remarkable. To continue the record : ' At table,
discoursing of thunder and lightning, Sir W. Rider did tell
17
258 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
a story of his own knowledge, that a Genoese galley in
Leghorn Roads was struck by thunder, so as the mast was
broke a pieces, and the shackle upon one of the slaves was
melted clear off his leg without hurting his leg. Sir William
went on board the vessel, and would have contributed towards
the release of the slave whom Heaven had thus set free ; but
he could not compass it, and so he was brought to his fetters
again.'*
Bethnal House again comes into prominence in connection
with the Fire of London. Pepys appears to have received his
friend's permission to bestow his valuables here for safety, so
on September 3, 1666, to quote his own w^ords, ' about four
o'clock in the morning my Lady Batten sent me a cart to
carry away all my money and plate and best things to Sir
W. Rider's, at Bednall Green, which I did, riding myself in
my nightgown in the cart ; and Lord ! to see how the streets
and the highways are crowded with people running and
riding, and getting of carts at any rate to fetch away things.
I find Sir W. Rider tired with being called up all night and
receiving things from several friends. His house full of
goods, and much of Sir W. Batten's and Sir W. Pen's. I
am eased at my heart to have my treasure so well secured. 'f
Another treasure was safely kept here, being none other than
the diary itself, for on September 8 he went to ' Bednall
Green by coach, my brother with me, and saw all well there,
and fetched away my journal-book to enter for five days
past.' However much we may smile at Pepys for the entries
in his diary, it would have been an undoubted loss to the
literature of England if his work had perished in the Great
Fire, giving us as it does so complete an insight into con-
temporary history. Two days later, while at Sir W. Batten's,
he hears * that Sir W. Rider says that the town is full of the
report of the wealth that is in his house, and he would be
glad that his friends would provide for the safety of their
goods there. This made me get a cart, and thither, and
there brought my money all away.'t
* Pepys' 'Diary,' Cassell's edition, pp. 160, 161.
f Ibid., p. 148. + Ibid., p. 161.
BETHNAL GREEN GARDENS 259
Sir W. Ryder died in this house in 1669, and after his
death the property passed through many hands till about
the end of the last century it was purchased by Dr. Warburton
for a private lunatic asylum,* and it has remained as such
ever since.
Having now dealt with the history of this house, some
account must be given of the very romantic legend attached
to it, preserved in the ballad called ' The Beggar's Daughter
of Bednall Green, 'f which dates back to the reign of Elizabeth.
The heroine of the story is ' pretty Bessee,' the daughter of a
blind beggar. Being very beautiful, she had many a gallant
suitor ; but when they found out that she was only a beggar's
daughter, and that her dowry would be nil, their ardour cooled
considerably. So she left home to seek out her fortune, and
eventually came to Romford, where she very quickly had
four lovers, to all of whom she gave the same answer, that
they must obtain her father's consent before she would be
married. This they joyfully said they would do, and asked
where he lived. Then the sad truth had to come out that
he was the ' blind beggar of Bednall Greene,' and only one,
a knight, was willing to marry her then. So the happy pair
went from Romford to Bethnal Green, pursued by the dis-
appointed swains, whom the favoured suitor had to fight in
the lists. At the end of the, fray, his relations chide the
' pretty Bessee ' with her poverty ; but to their surprise her
father offers to give as her dowry as many angels as the
bridegroom's friends can produce ; and when he had given
' full three thousand pound,' and their funds were exhausted,
he added one hundred pounds more to buy her a gown.
This ends the first part of the ballad. The second describes
the marriage feast to which a great number of nobles came,
when the blind beggar declares himself to be Henry, the
eldest son of Simon de Montfort, who was felled by a blow
at the Battle of Evesham, which deprived him of his sight.
Whilst lying amongst the heap of slain, he was found by a
* Lysons, 'Environs of London,' vol. ii., part i., p. 18.
f Printed in the collection known as the * Percy Reliques.'
17 — 2
26o OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
baron's daughter, who removed him from the field, and
eventually married him ; but in order to conceal his identity,
he disguised himself as a beggar. Upon hearing this story
the company embraced the knight's bride as being of noble
birth, and so the romantic legend ends. Unfortunately
this account clashes with history, which most emphatically
declares that the younger De Montfort was slain at Evesham.
Lysons very tersely observes that although the writer might
have fixed upon any other spot with equal propriety for the
residence of his beggar, the story has gained much credit in
Bethnal Green, ' where it decorates not only the signposts
of the publicans, but the staff of the beadle ; and so con-
vinced are some of the inhabitants of its truth, that they
show an ancient house upon the green as the palace of the
blind beggar, and point to two turrets at the extremities of
the court wall as the places where he deposited his gains.'*
These two turrets, which have now disappeared, stood on
the site of the present approach road to the asylum.
We have already mentioned some of the past inhabitants
of Bethnal Green, who are more particularly identified with
these gardens; but there are others who have helped to
bring honour to the neighbourhood, whose residences cannot
be fixed, who are yet worthy of a passing notice. Among
these may be included Sir Richard Gresham, father of the
more celebrated Sir Thomas Gresham. It was at Bethnal
Green that Sir Balthazar Gerbier, by profession a painter
and an architect, founded in 1649 an academy in imitation
of the Museum Minervse.t Here he delivered weekly public
lectures, where he professed to teach among other subjects,
' astronomy, navigation, architecture, perspective, drawing,
limning, engraving, fortification, fireworks, military discipline,
the art of well-speaking and civil conversation, history, con-
stitutions and maxims of state, and particular dispositions
of nations, riding the great horse, scenes, exercises, and
magnificent shows.' The inclusive terms for this compre-
* Lysons, 'Environs of London,' 1811, vol. ii., part i., p. 18.
f J. N. Brewer, * London, Westminster and Middlesex/ vol. iv., p. 279.
BETHNAL GREEN GARDENS 261
hensive repertoire were £6 a month, half of which was for
riding the great horse.*
Another personage as peculiar as this master of all the
arts was Roger Crab, who resided at Bethnal Green at the
time of his decease. He wrote a life of himself called 'The
English Hermit ; or, The Wonder of the Age,' from which
it appears that he served seven years in the Parliamentary
army, and had his skull cloven to the brain in their service,
for which he was so ill requited that he was once sentenced
to death by Cromwell, and afterwards suffered two years'
imprisonment. When he had obtained his release he set up
a shop at Chesham, and began to imbibe strong notions
against eating meat, and he adopted for his food bran, herbs,
roots, dock-leaves, grasses, washed down with water for his
only drink. He was buried September 14, 1680, and a very
handsome tomb, which has now decayed and been removed,
was erected to his memory at Stepney Church. t
Lysons mentions two other eminent inhabitants — Ains-
worth, the compiler of the dictionary bearing his name, who
kept an academy at Bethnal Green, perhaps on a less
ambitious scale than that of Sir Balthazar Gerbier, and
William Caslon, the eminent letter-founder, who died here
in 1766, some years after he had retired from business.
* Lysons, 'Environs of London,' 1811, vol. ii., part i., p. 19.
f Ibid., pp. 697, 698.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE EMBANKMENT GARDENS.
WHEN the late Metropolitan Board of Works
passed out of existence, Punch wrote an epitaph
to be placed on a proposed memorial-stone to
that body. Its virtues were summed up in one
sentence : * It drained London and gave an embankment to
the Thames.' To this latter gigantic undertaking the Em-
bankment gardens owe their existence, for they form part of
the land which was reclaimed from the river during the
work. The Embankments are three in number — the Victoria,
which extends from Blackfriars Bridge to the Houses of
Parliament ; the Albert, on the opposite side of the river from
Westminster Bridge to Vauxhall ; and the Chelsea, from
Battersea Bridge to Chelsea Bridge.
VICTORIA EMBANKMENT GARDENS.
Taking these in chronological order, we must deal first
with the Victoria Embankment, commenced in 1864, and
opened by the Prince of Wales as the representative of the
Queen on July 13, 1870. The conception of the formation
of a continuous embankment on the northern shore of the
Thames appears to have originated with Sir Christopher
Wren, who incorporated it as a part of his scheme for re-
building London after the Great Fire in 1666. Since that
time it has been recommended by several eminent men,
among whom may be mentioned William Paterson, founder
264 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
of the Bank of England, about 1694 ; Gwynne, 1767 ; Sir
Frederick Eden, 1798 ; Sir Frederick Trench, 1824 ; James
Walker, 1840 ; the Duke of Newcastle, 1844 ; and John
Martin, the painter, 1856. The late Board in deciding to
form this Embankment had another object in view besides
the improvement of the banks of the Thames, viz., to enable
them to complete the main drainage without interference
with the traffic through the Strand. The line laid down by
Mr. Walker was approved and recommended by various
Parliamentary Committees and Royal Commissions, until at
length it received the sanction of Parliament. An Act for
the formation of an embankment to this line, entrusting its
execution to the late Board of Works, was accordingly passed
in 1862. The length of the roadway is about a mile and a
quarter, and the total area of the land reclaimed from the
river has been 37 J acres, 19 of which are occupied by the
carriage -road and footways ; 7^ acres have been conveyed
under Act of Parliament to the Crown, the Societies of the
Inner and Middle Temples, and other adjacent land-owners,
and the remainder has been devoted to the public gardens.
Many difficulties were encountered during the progress of
the work ; that which entailed the most delay being the
'arrangement, authorized by Parliament, for the construction
of the Metropolitan District Railway in connection with the
roadway. The railway construction proceeded very slowly
in consequence of the difficulty of raising sufficient capital.
The Embankment roadway, planted with trees, and
ornamented \vith so many noble buildings, is recognised as
one of the finest in the world. It is exempted, under an
Act passed in 1872, from the operation of the general law
which vests roads and streets in the local authorities of the
parishes or districts in which they are situate, and is main-
tained out of the rates by the London County Council. The
total cost of the Embankment and works connected there-
with was -£i, 156, 981. It is very appropriate that Her
Majesty's name should be associated with the accomplish-
ment of a \vork of construction which, in the opinion of
VICTORIA EMBANKMENT GARDENS
265
Englishmen and foreigners alike, is one of the greatest of
which any city can boast.
The Victoria Embankment Gardens consist of three
sections, named from the adjacent properties, the Temple,
Villiers Street, and Whitehall Gardens. The first-named
must not be confounded with the celebrated Temple Gardens,
famous among other things for chrysanthemum shows, and
which were made by Shakespeare the place where the rival
houses of York and Lancaster first assumed the distinctive
badges of the white and red rose.* The Temple section of
The Press Band, Victoria Embankment Gardens (Temple Section).
the Embankment gardens as first laid out was but a narrow
strip intersected by a tar-paved path, with flower-beds on
each side. In 1895 an alteration of the garden was made in
order to find room for a bandstand in the centre. This is the
outcome of a successful venture originated by Mr. Thomas of
the Graphic. These gardens are close to the printing-offices
of many of the leading papers, and a band performance is
given during the printers' dinner-hour on every day of the
week except Saturday and Sunday during the summer
months. The expense of this was in the first case borne by
* First Part of ' King Henry VI.'
266 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
subscriptions from the press. Originally the band performed
on the grass, and a vast audience crowded together as best
they could on the narrow path. The erection of the band-
stand and the alteration of the paths have now added greatly
to the comfort of this large mid-day audience.
In the gardens is a statue, with granite base, with the
following inscription :
'WILLIAM EDWARD FORSTER,
BORN JULY n, 1818,
DIED APRIL 5, 1886.
TO HIS WISDOM AND COURAGE ENGLAND OWES
THE ESTABLISHMENT THROUGHOUT THE LAND OF A NATIONAL
SYSTEM OF ELEMENTARY EDUCATION.'
Round the sides of the base :
'WILLIAM EDWARD FORSTER,
FOR TWENTY-FIVE YEARS MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR
BRADFORD, l86l-l886.'
This statue is appropriately placed in front of the School
Board for London offices, established in pursuance of the
Elementary Education Act 1870. This handsome building
is of red brick in the Queen Anne style from the designs of
Mr. E. R. Robson. At the other end of the garden is a
statue of John Stuart Mill, adorned with no other inscrip-
tion than his name. Close by at the entrance are two
figures presented by Mr. Buxton, L.C.C., representing ' The
Wrestlers' from Herculaneum, and a. fountain has recently
been erected as a memorial of the temperance work of Lady
Henry Somerset.
At the time when the Strand was the favourite dwelling-
place of the aristocracy, and the site of these gardens was
washed by the Thames, there were two mansions adjacent to
this spot, whose grounds extended to the water's edge —
Essex House and Arundel House. On their sites have been
built Essex and Arundel Streets, and Milford Lane.
When the Order of Knights Templars was dissolved, this
portion of their property wras bestowed on the Prior and
Canons of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, wrho disposed
of it in 1324 to Walter, Bishop of Exeter, who erected
VICTORIA EMBANKMENT GARDENS 267
thereon the stately edifice called Exeter House.* It was sub-
sequently alienated from the Bishops, and came into the pos-
session of several noble families. At the Reformation it was
called Paget House, because William, Lord Paget enlarged
and owned it. Subsequently it was known as Leycester House,
after Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and afterwards as
Essex House, f from Queen Elizabeth's favourite, the Earl
of Essex. By a lease dated March n, 1639, and in con-
sideration of the sum of £1,100, Lord Essex let one half of
his house for a period of ninety-nine years to William Sey-
mour, Earl of Hertford.* Pepys paid a visit here in 1669
Essex House.
when Sir Orlando Bridgman, the Lord Keeper, was in
possession. * By-and-by the King comes out, and so I took
coach and followed his coaches to my Lord Keeper's, at
Essex House, where I never was before, since I saw my old
Lord Essex lie in state when he was dead ; a large, but ugly
house. '§ The main portion of the building was pulled down
about 1680, and upon the site of the grounds ' the great
* Rev. J. Nightingale, 'History of London and Middlesex,' vol. iv.,
p. 197.
t Stow, p. 165.
I Wheatley and Cunningham, * London : Past and Present,' vol. ii.,
p. 17-
§ Pepys' ' Diary,' January 24, 1669.
268 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
builder,' Nicholas Barbone, built Essex Street.* The
remaining portion was not taken down till 1777, and in it
the Cottonian Library was kept from 1712 to 1730.
The adjoining mansion, Arundel House, was also originally
an episcopal residence, belonging to the See of Bath and
Wells. It was disposed of by Edward VI. to his uncle,
Lord Thomas Seymour, High Admiral of England, and by
him named Seymour Place. It remained in his possession
till his attainder, when it was purchased of the Crown by the
Earl of Arundel, together with several other messuages and
lands in the parish for the sum of £41 6s. 8d.f The mansion
then passed by marriage into the Howard family, and became
the residence of the Dukes of Norfolk. It was described at
that time as ' a large and old built house, with a spacious
yard for stabling towards the Strand, and with a gate to
enclose it, where there was the porter's lodge ; and as large
a garden towards the Thames.' Philip Howard, Earl of
Arundel, was attainted in the reign of Elizabeth, and this
mansion was granted in 1603 to the Earl of Nottingham,
but four years later was transferred to Thomas Howard, son
of the last-mentioned Philip, who was restored to the
earldom of Arundel by James I.J It was afterwards
appointed for the residence of the Duke of Sully, who
described it as one of the finest and most commodious in
London, from the great number of apartments on the same
floor. Although it covered a great deal of ground, the
general appearance was low and mean, but the views from
the gardens were remarkably fine.§ In this mansion was
kept the magnificent collection of works of art formed by
Henry Howard, Earl of Arundel. When complete this
collection contained 37 statues, 128 busts, and 250 inscribed
marbles, exclusive of many other gems. Evelyn tells his
own story of his endeavours to obtain a safer keeping for
* Strype, book iv., p. 117. f Ibid., p. 105.
\ Wheatley and Cunningham, ' London : Past and Present,' vol. i., p. 73.
$ Rev. J. Nightingale, ' History of London and Middlesex,' vol. iv.,
p. 1 88.
VICTORIA EMBANKMENT GARDENS 269
these works of art. ' To London with Mr. Hen. Howard,
of Norfolk, of whom I obtained ye gift of his Arundelian
marbles, those celebrated and famous inscriptions, Greek
and Latine, gathered with so much cost and Industrie from
Greece, by his illustrious grandfather, the magnificent Earl
of Arundel, my noble friend whilst he liv'd. When I saw
these precious monuments miserably neglected and scatter'd
up and down about the garden, and other parts of Arundel
House, and how exceedingly the corrosive air of London
impaired them, I procur'd him to bestow them on the
University of Oxford. This he was pleas'd to grant me,
and now gave me the key of the gallery, with leave to mark
all those stones, urns, altars, etc., and whatever I found had
inscriptions on them that were not statues.'*
This owner presented his library to the Royal Society,
who met here at the invitation of the Duke, after the Fire of
London. Pepys records a visit to this house during the first
year the Royal Society was installed here : ' I by water
with my Lord Brouncker to Arundell House, to the Royall
Society, and there saw the experiment of a dog's being tied
through the back, about the spinal artery, and thereby made
void of all motion ; and the artery being loosened again, the
dog recovers. 't When Arundel House was ordered to be
pulled down in 1674, the society returned to Gresham
College. Some three years before this it was proposed to
build a mansion house on the gardens next the river, but
although a private Act was obtained for the purpose, the
design was never carried out.} Arundel Street was built on
the site of the old house in 1678, and Gay hits off a descrip-
tion of the street as it appeared in 1716 :
' Behold that narrow street which steep descends,
Whose buildings to the slimy shore extends ;
Here Arundel's fam'd structure rear'd its frame,
The street alone retains the empty name :
* Evelyn's * Diary,' September 19, 1667.
f Pepys' ' Diary,' July 16, 1668.
J ' London : Past and Present,' vol. i., p. 73.
270 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Where Titian's glowing paint the canvas warm'd,
And Raphael's fair design, with judgment, charm'd,
Now hangs the bellman's song, and pasted here
The coloured prints of Overton appear.
Where statues breath'd, the work of Phidias' hands,
A wooden pump, or lonely watch-house stands.'*
These lines of Gay are interesting, not only for the descrip-
tion of the art treasures of Arundel House, but also for that
of ' the slimy shore,' which is the exact site of the present
gardens.
Leaving now the historical houses which once graced this
site, mention must be made of another building facing the
gardens, the property of Mr. J. J. Astor, the American
millionaire. Although d\varfed by the larger School Board
offices, this is a gem of architecture, inside and out.
The main or Villiers Street section of the Victoria Embank-
ment Gardens is perhaps the best known and the most used
of all the parks and gardens of London. The area is so
limited that every portion of it has to be treated as a garden,
and the cost of maintenance is therefore very heavy. The
number of flower-beds is extremely large, and from early
spring to late autumn they present a mass of bloom. In the
gardens is a temporary wooden bandstand, removed from the
Naval Exhibition at Chelsea, and the frequent high-class
band performances attract numerous crowds. All the paths
are tar-paved, which is rendered necessary by the incessant
flow of the passers to and fro. Owing to their public
character, these gardens have been chosen as sites for the
erection of statues to many eminent celebrities. One of
these is to Robert Burns (1759—1796), with the following
inscription :
'THE POETIC GENIUS OF MY COUNTRY FOUND ME AT THE
PLOUGH, AND THREW HER INSPIRING MANTLE OVER ME. SHE
BADE ME SING THE LOVES, THE JOYS, THE RURAL SCENES AND
RURAL PLEASURES OF MY NATIVE SOIL IN MY NATIVE TONGUE :
I TUNED MY WILD, ARTLESS NOTES AS SHE INSPIRED.'
* Gay, ' Trivia,' book ii. »
VICTORIA EMBANKMENT GARDENS 271
This memorial was the gift of John Gordon Crawford,
1884.
A second is to
'ROBERT RAIKES,
FOUNDER OF SUNDAY SCHOOLS,
1780.
'This statue was erected under the direction of the Sunday- School
Union by contributions from teachers and scholars of Sunday-schools in
Great Britain. July, 1880.'
There is also a mural fountain and tablet :
' Erected to the memory of Henry Fawcett, by his grateful country-
women. A.D. 1886. Fortiter, fideliter, feliciter.'
This tablet has a medallion portrait of the blind Postmaster-
General, who did so much for the introduction of female
labour into the Post-Office.
The huge monolith erected on the river bank facing the
gardens is the celebrated Cleopatra's Needle, which created
so great a sensation when first brought to England. The
inscriptions on the four sides of the base give a brief account
of the romantic story connected with this monument.
' This obelisk, prostrate for centuries on the sands of Alexandria, was
presented to the British nation, A.D. 1819, by Mahomed Ali, Viceroy of
Egypt — a worthy memorial of our distinguished countrymen, Nelson
and Abercromby. This obelisk, quarried at Syene, was erected at On
(Heliopolis) by the Pharaoh Thotmes III. about 1500 B.C. Lateral
inscriptions were added by Rameses the Great. Removed during the
Greek dynasty to Alexandria, the royal city of Cleopatra, it was there
erected in the eighth year of Augustus Caesar, B.C. 23. Through the
patriotic zeal of Erasmus Wilson, F.R.S., this obelisk was brought from
Alexandria encased in an iron cylinder. It was abandoned during a
storm in the Bay of Biscay, recovered, and erected on this spot by
John Dixon, C.E., in the forty-second year of the reign of Queen Victoria,
1878.'
The fourth side is a memorial tablet to six sailors who
' perished in a bold attempt to succour the crew of the
obelisk ship Cleopatra during the storm, October 14, 1877.'
The bronze base and sphinxes on each side of it were
272
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
designed by a former architect of the Metropolitan Board of
Works — George Vulliamy.
At the Waterloo Bridge end of this garden we are on the
site of the foreshore of the old Savoy Palace, of which only
the chapel remains. This palace, which seems, from the old
prints still extant, to have been built literally in the water,
dates back to the thirteenth century. It was the seat of
Peter, Earl of Savoy, uncle of Eleanor, the Queen of
Henry III. The Earl bestowed it on the fraternity of
Cleopatra's Needle.
Montjoy, from whom it was bought back by Queen Eleanor
for Edmund, Earl of Lancaster. The palace was restored
by Henry Plantagenet, fourth Earl and first Duke of
Lancaster. It was in this palace that John, King of France,
was confined after the Battle of Poictiers (1356), and after
his release, he died in his old prison on a visit to England.
The Savoy was burnt and entirely destroyed by Wat Tyler
and his followers in 1381. It does not seem to have been
rebuilt till 1505, when Henry VII. restored it as a hospital
of St. John the Baptist for the relief of 100 poor people. It
VICTORIA EMBANKMENT GARDENS
273
was suppressed in 1553, but re-endowed by Queen Mary,
and was continued as a hospital till 1702, when it was
dissolved. The fruitless meeting between the Bishops and
eminent Puritans, known as the ' Savoy Conference,' for
Chapel Royal, Savoy.
the revision of the liturgy was held here in 1661.* The
river front contained several projections, and two rows of
angular mullioned windows. North of this was a court
* Wheatley and Cunningham, ' London : Past and Present,' vol. iii.,
pp. 217, 218.
18
274 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
formed by the walls of the body of the hospital, the ground-
plan of which was in the shape of a cross. This was more
ornamented than the south front, and had large pointed
windows and embattled parapets. At the west end of the
hospital was a guard-house, used as a receptacle for deserters,
and as quarters for thirty officers and men.* In 1763 the
recruits for the East India Service, temporarily confined in
the Savoy, made a determined attempt to escape. They
overpowered the guard and obtained possession of the keys, but
before they could force the outer gate a detachment of soldiers
arrived, who disarmed them after a short struggle. Several
of the recruits were wounded, and three killed outright. t
This gate was embellished with the arms of Henry VII., and
the badges of the rose and portcullis. Strype, in his descrip-
tion of the buildings, says : ' In this Savoy, how ruinous
soever it is, are divers good houses. First, the King's print-
ing press for proclamations, Acts of Parliament, gazettes,
and such-like public papers ; next a prison ; thirdly, a parish
church, and three or four of the churches and places for
religious assemblies — viz., for the French, for Dutch, for
High Germans, and Lutherans, and lastly, for the Protestant
dissenters. Here be also harbours for many refugees and
poor people. 'J The ' parish church ' referred to is the Chapel
Royal of the Savoy, which once possessed the privilege of
sanctuary, and long after this was legally abrogated, it was
a refuge for debtors and disorderly persons. After many
restorations, the chapel was destroyed by fire in 1864, and
rebuilt at the Queen's expense, and re-opened in November,
1865. § The chapel, with its richly decorated interior, arid
the burial-ground adjoining, are all that remain of this once
famous palace and hospital. All the other ruined buildings
were cleared away (1817-19) in the formation of the ap-
proaches to Waterloo Bridge from the Strand. The present
buildings erected on the site are the Medical Examination
Hall (the foundation-stone of which was laid by the Queen
* Malcolm, ' London.' f Lambert, vol. ii., p. 193.
| Strype, book iv., p. 107. § * London: Past and Present,' vol. ii., p. 500.
VICTORIA EMBANKMENT GARDENS
275
The Fox under the Hill.
on March 24, 1886), and the Savoy Hotel, opened in August
1889.
There was also another building of rather dilapidated
appearance which stood close to this spot, which was
1 8— 2
276 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
interesting from its associations with Dickens. This was
the tavern called The Fox under the Hill. Dickens'
biographer says : ' One of his favourite localities was a little
public-house by the water-side called the Fox under the
Hill, approached by an underground passage, which we once
missed in looking for it together ; and he had a vision, which
he has mentioned in " Copperfield," of sitting eating some-
thing on a bench outside, and looking at some coal-heavers
dancing.' The dismal aspect of this tumble-down place was
very suggestive of this despairing season in Dickens' child-
hood.*
Adjoining the Savoy is another mammoth hotel — the Cecil
—built upon the Salisbury estate, for which the sum of
£200,000 was received by the present Marquis. This
property included what are now called Salisbury and Cecil
Streets, and occupies the site of old Salisbury House. This
was built by Sir Robert Cecil, the first Earl of Salisbury, and
like the other large mansions that formerly graced the Strand,
had gardens extending down to the river. It is interesting
to note that this nobleman caused the high street of the
Strand to be levelled and paved for the convenience of
passengers. Queen Elizabeth was present at the house-
warming, as we learn from Manningham's 'Diary': 'On
Monday last the Queen dyned at Sir Robert Secil's newe
house in the Strand. Shee was verry royally entertained,
richeley presented, and marvelous well-contented. . . . His
hall was well furnished with choice weapons, which her
Majestic took speciall notice of.'f The mansion was subse-
quently divided into two portions, the one called Great
Salisbury House, which was retained by the Earl, and the
other, which was still a large house, was leased to various
gentlemen under the name of Little Salisbury House. In
1692 this latter was pulled down, and about 1698 Salisbury
Street was built on its site. A part next to Great Salisbury
House over the long gallery, together with some adjoining
* P. Fitzgerald, * Picturesque London,' p. 47.
f Manningham's 'Diary,' December 7, 1602.
VICTORIA EMBANKMENT GARDENS
277
property, was converted into an exchange, which consisted
of a very long and large room with shops on both sides, and
extended from the Strand to the river-side, where there were
steps down to the water. This was opened, with great eclat,
in 1608, in the presence of the Royal Family. It was in-
tended to rival the Royal Exchange, but was allowed to go to
decay. The river end subsequently fell into disrepute, and
as the shops were all unlet, the Earl pulled down the Ex-
change and Great Salisbury House, and built Cecil Street
on their site.*
Durham House, 1660.
In Little Salisbury House lived William Cavendish, third
Earl of Devonshire, father of the first Duke of Devonshire ;
and at one time Thomas Hobbes, the philosopher, found a
home here.t
The next mansion to be noticed, whose grounds extended
to the site of the present gardens, is Durham House, the
town residence of the Bishops of that see. ' This house . . .
was buylded in the time of Henry 3, by one Antonye Becke,
* Strype, book iv., p. 120.
t Wheatley and Cunningham, ' London
p. 205.
Past and Present,3 vol. iii.
278 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
B. of Durham. It is a howse of 300 years antiquitie ; the
hall whereof is stately and high, supported with lofty marble
pillars. It standeth upon the Thamise veriye pleasantly.
Her Matie hath committed the use thereof to Sir Walter
Rawleigh.'* So writes Norden in 1593. Before it came
into the possession of Sir Walter Raleigh, it had been con-
veyed to King Henry VIII. by Cuthbert Tunstall, Bishop of
Durham. Afterwards it was owned by Queen Elizabeth, but
when she died it was restored by Mary to the See of Durham.
In the reign of Charles I. the premises were leased to the
Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery for the yearly sum of
£200.
In 1540 a magnificent feast was given here by the
challengers of England, who had caused to be proclaimed in
France, Flanders, Scotland, and Spain, a great triumphal
tournament for all comers that would accept their challenge.
Both challengers and defendants, however, that entered the
lists at Westminster were English. At the close of each day,
open house was kept at this mansion, where the King and
Queen were feasted, together with the Lord Mayor, Aldermen,
and knights and burgesses of the House of Commons. The
King gave to each of the challengers, and his heirs for ever,
100 marks out of the lands pertaining to the Hospital of
St. John of Jerusalem. t
The grounds of Durham House were encroached upon for
the erection of Salisbury House, and the stabling was con-
verted into the Exchange we have before referred to. The
Adelphi now occupies the site of Durham House. This estate
was designed and built by four brothers of the name of Adam,
whose Christian names — John, Robert, James, and William
—are preserved in the adjoining streets. These brothers were
architects of great reputation, patronized by royalty, and among
other works designed by them may be mentioned Caen Wood
House at Hampstead. Over the wharves which fronted the
* Norden, MS. History of Middlesex.
f Rev. J. Nightingale, 'London, Westminster and Middlesex,' vol. iv.,
pp. 229, 230.
VICTORIA EMBANKMENT GARDENS
279
river they threw a series of arches, and connected the river
with the Strand by another archway, so that the streets are
built over wide-spreading vaultings. The principal feature
in the design is the noble Adelphi Terrace, fronting the river,
which at the time of its erection must have had fine views
across the Thames, now unfortunately spoilt by the unsightly
buildings on the opposite shore. In the centre house of this
terrace lived David Garrick from 1772 to 1779, which fact is
commemorated by a memorial tablet. The actor died in the
back room of the first-floor, and his widow in the same room
Durham House and the Strand in 1660.
in 1822.* Johnson's friend Topham Beauclerk also lived
here. Boswell writes : ' He (Johnson) and I walked away
together. We stopped a little while by the rails of the
Adelphi, looking on the Thames, and I said to him with
some emotion, that I was now thinking of two friends we had
lost who once lived in the buildings behind us : Beauclerk
and Garrick. "Ay, sir," said he tenderly, "and two such
friends as cannot be supplied." The arches under the
Adelphi had a very bad name some years ago, owing to the
use to which they were put by thieves and other ruffianly
* ' London : Past and Present,' vol. i., pp. 6, 7.'
280 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
characters, but they are now enclosed and are used for wine-
cellars. At the time of the Chartist scare, a battery of guns
was hidden in these vaults, so as to be ready for use if
required.
Of the next mansion in the Strand, something more
remains than the mere name. This relic of the former
grandeur of the river-side buildings is the York Water-gate,
now the chief architectural glory of the Embankment gardens.
It is interesting apart from its associations, because it shows
the point to which the river extended before it was embanked.
The terrace walk, planted with trees behind the water-gate,
was the former river-side promenade, and is considerably
below the level of the Embankment roadway. From the
beauty and magnificence of this gate, some idea may be
obtained of the splendid mansion of the Buckinghams. The
original house was anciently the Bishop of Norwich's inn,
but was exchanged in 1535 for the Abbey of St. Bennet
Holme, in Norfolk. The next possessor, Charles Brandon,
Duke of Suffolk, received it in exchange for Southwark
Palace. In the reign of Queen Mary it was purchased by
Dr. Heath, Archbishop of 'York, and called York House.
He was the only Archbishop to live in it, and his successors
'seem to have let it to the Lord Keepers of the Great Seal.
In the reign of James I. it was exchanged with the Crown for
several manors. Subsequently it was granted to George
Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, who rebuilt it in princely style.*
In order to adorn his house, the Duke purchased for
100,000 florins the splendid collection of paintings and works
of art which formerly belonged to Rubens. The Duke, who
did not live in the mansion, but only used it for state occa-
sions, was assassinated in 1628. Some twenty years later,
under the Commonwealth, the mansion was given by Crom-
well to General Fairfax, whose daughter and heiress married
George Villiers, the second Duke of Buckingham, so that
eventually it returned to its rightful owner. When the Pro-
* Rev. J. Nightingale, ' London, Westminster and Middlesex,' vol. iv.,
p. 244.
VICTORIA EMBANKMENT GARDENS
281
tector was told of the marriage, he gave the Duke permission
to reside at York House, but not to leave it without consent.
Buckingham disobeyed this order, and was promptly sent to
the Tower, whereupon his father-in-law went to Cromwell,
and pleaded for him without effect.* From references by
Pepys in 1661 and 1663, it appears that York House was the
residence of foreign Ambassadors :
Adelphi Terrace prior to the Formation of the Embankment.
'May 19, 1661 (Lord's Day). — I walked in the morning
towards Westminster, and, seeing many people at York
House, I went down and found them at masse, it being the
Spanish Ambassador's ; and so I got into one of the gallerys,
and there heard two masses done, I think not in so much
state as I have seen them heretofore. After that, into the
garden, and walked an hour or two, but found it not so fine
a place as I always took it for by the outside.'
* Wheatley and Cunningham, ' London : Past and Present,' vol. iii.,
P- 539-
282 OP£AT SPACES OF LONDON
'June 6, 1663. — To York House, where the Russian
Ambassador do lie ; and there I saw his people go up and
down ; they are all in a great hurry, being to be gone the
beginning of next week. But that that pleased me best, was
the remains of the noble soul of the late Duke of Buckingham
appearing in his house, in every place, in the door-cases and
the windows.'
Pepys refers to the arms of Villiers and Manners — lions
and peacocks — with which every room was adorned.
After the Restoration, Buckingham returned to York
House, which he sold in 1672 as a building estate, and the
streets were named after him — George Street, Villiers Street,
Duke Street, Of or Off Alley, Buckingham Street. In this
last street, in the first house from the gardens on the right-
hand side, lived Peter the Great, and the house opposite to
him was occupied by Pepys, who came here in 1684. This
house was subsequently used as a studio by William Etty, R.A.,
from 1826 to 1849, and after that by Stanfield, the landscape-
painter.* One of these two houses was the residence ot
Dickens before he went to Furnival's Inn. It will be remem-
bered that David Copperfield once lived in Buckingham
Street in rooms which are described as being at the top of
one of the end houses, with an outlook on the dreary fore-
shore of the unembanked Thames. In this description
Dickens was reproducing the story of his own career.t
The York or Buckingham Water-gate is traditionally
ascribed to Inigo Jones, and certainly it is worthy of this
great man ; but if he designed it, Buckingham must have
employed two architects, for the house itself appears to have
been the work of Sir Balthazar Gerbier, of Bethnal Green
fame. The water-gate was built by Nicholas Stone, who
also claims the design. In his Works Book, now preserved
in Sir John Soane's Museum, is the entry :
' The Watergate at York House hee dessined and built ;
* J. T. Smith, ' Book for a Rainy Day,' p. 292.
t * Notes on some Dickens Places and People,' by Charles Dickens
the younger. Pall Mall Magazine, July, 1896.
VICTORIA EMBANKMENT GARDENS 283
and ye right hand lion hee did, fronting y Thames. Mr Kearne,
a Jarman, his brother by marrying, did ye shee lion.'*
On the gardens side of the water-gate are the Villiers'
arms, and on the other is the motto ' Fidei coticula crux.'
Under an Act passed in the twenty-ninth year of George II.,
the proprietors and inhabitants of the houses in York Build-
ings were enabled to levy a rate upon themselves for the
purpose of repairing or rebuilding the terrace walk and the
water-gate. The late Metropolitan Board of Works made
frequent attempts to secure this gate and terrace, which was
-
ggg-r.-
York or Buckingham House and York Water-gate (now in the Victoria
Embankment Gardens.)
enclosed, and add the land to the gardens, but the difficulties
in the way proved too formidable. This object was, how-
ever, eventually attained by the London County Council
under the London Open Spaces Act, 1893, which vested the
site in them. At the time when the Embankment was formed,
there was a proposal to transfer the water-gate to the new
river-front, and re-erect it as a part of the Embankment wall.
In view, however, of the wishes of the architectural pro-
fession, this scheme was abandoned, and there is now no
* Quoted in * London : Past and Present,' vol. iii., p. 542.
284 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
prospect of the interesting relic being moved from its present
site.
Close by the water-gate, on the site of the photograph
shop at the corner of the gardens, was an unsightly tower
of wood, octagonal in shape, about 70 feet high, with small
round loopholes instead of windows. This belonged to the
York Waterworks, a company now defunct, which was estab-
lished for the purpose of supplying the neighbourhood with
water pumped direct from the Thames. The company was
incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1691, and the tower
was built between this year and 1695.*
Charing Cross Station and the land on this side adjacent
to the gardens is on the site of Hungerford Market. It took
its name from the family of Hungerford, whose seat was at
Farley, on the borders of Wiltshire and Somersetshire. Sir
Edward Hungerford was created Knight of the Bath at the
coronation of Charles II., and had a large mansion here,
which he converted into a number of small tenements, which
together formed the market. Pepys records how the old
mansion was destroyed :
' April 26, 1669. — A great fire happened in Durham Yard
last night, burning the house of one Lady Hungerford, who
was to come to town to it this night ; and so the house is
burned, new furnished, by carelessness of the girl, sent to
take off a candle from a bunch of candles, which she did by
burning it off, and left the rest, as is supposed, on fire. The
King and Court were here, it seems, and stopped the fire by
blowing up the next house.'
The permission to hold a market on the site for three days
a week was then granted to Sir Edward Hungerford, known
in history as 'the spendthrift.' The market was rebuilt early
in the present century from the designs of Mr. Fowler, the
architect of Covent Garden Market. The upper part of the
market consisted of three avenues, roofed over, with shops
on each side, and the principal article sold here was fish,
* Rev. J. Nightingale, ' London, Westminster and Middlesex,' vol. iv.,
p. 245.
VICTORIA EMBANKMENT GARDENS 285
but there were also stalls for fruit, vegetables, and butchers'
meat. This building was pulled down in 1862, together
with Hungerford Bridge (which was approached through the
market), in order to make way for Charing Cross Railway
Bridge and Station. The old Suspension Bridge was designed
by Brunei, to whom there is a statue on the Embankment
in a shrubbery near the Temple Gardens. It was then re-
erected as the Clifton Suspension Bridge near Bristol.*
The remaining section of the ornamental grounds on the
Victoria Embankment is distinguished by the name of
Whitehall Gardens. Under the terms of the Act authorizing
the formation of the Embankment, this reclaimed land in
front of Crown property was to belong to the Crown. When,
.however, the wall was about to be erected to enclose this
land, considerable feeling was exhibited throughout the
Metropolis, as it was deemed unfair that the Crown should
reap the benefit of works which had been carried out at the
expense of the inhabitants of the Metropolis. The attention
of the House of Commons was called to the subject, and the
late Mr. W. H. Smith, then M.P. for Westminster, gave
notice of his intention to move the following resolution :
' That, in the opinion of this House, it is desirable that so
much of the ground reclaimed from the Thames at the cost
of the ratepayers of the Metropolis as may be in front of the
ancient line of buildings, shall be devoted to the purposes of
public recreation and amusement.' This motion was subse-
quently withdrawn in consequence of the House of Commons
having, on the motion of the Prime Minister, appointed a
Select, Committee ' to inquire whether, having regard to the
various rights and interests involved, it is expedient that the
land reclaimed from the Thames, and lying between White-
hall Gardens and Whitehall Place, should, in whole or in
part, be appropriated for the advantage of the inhabitants of
the Metropolis, and, in such case, in what manner such appro-
priation should be effected.' This Committee went into the
whole question very fully, and agreed to report to the House
* 'Old and New London/ vol. iii., pp. 131, 132.
286 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
that the land should be leased to the late Metropolitan Board
of Works for public purposes at a rental calculated after
the rate paid by the Crown tenants for adjoining reclaimed
land. These terms were agreed to by the late Board, but
the initiative rested with the Government, and their decision
was awaited with some anxiety. In the following year the
Chancellor of the Exchequer introduced a Bill which was to
enable the late Board to acquire possession of the land in
question on payment of the sum of £40,000. After the pre-
vious proposal these terms naturally came as a surprise, and
the Bill was petitioned against, and was afterwards dropped.
After several compromises had been suggested, the arrange-
ment finally come to was that the land should be conveyed
to the Board for the purposes of a public garden in considera-
tion of the payment of £3,270 and the surrender of a small
plot of ground on the south side of Whitehall Place. This
agreement was ratified by the Thames Embankment (Land)
Act, 1873. After the land had been fenced in and ornament-
ally laid out, it was opened to the public on May 8, 1875, by
the late Mr. W. H. Smith, M.P., to whose exertions in the
House of Commons the arrangement made for the appropria-
,tion of the ground to the public was largely due.
Before the terms of the compromise could be fully carried
out, Northumberland House and grounds had to be acquired.
The acquisition of this mansion was made almost a necessity
if the full benefit of the formation of the Embankment road-
way were to be reaped. This provided a wide and convenient
thoroughfare from the extreme west of the Metropolis to the
heart of the city, but owing to the steep and narrow ap-
proaches in the neighbourhood of Charing Cross, it was not
utilized to so large an extent as was anticipated. From the
first it was felt that a direct approach from Charing Cross
was necessary, but unfortunately the only way in which
this could be effected seemed to be through the grounds of
Northumberland House, the removal of which could not be
lightly entertained.
Northumberland House was the last of the palatial resi-
VICTORIA EMBANKMENT GARDENS 287
dences of the nobility which formerly skirted the banks of
the river, and on this account its demolition must be
regretted, but beyond the associations which surrounded
it there was little to recommend its preservation. It
could not boast of any very great antiquity, its existence
dating from the reign of James I., and it had been so fre-
quently altered since that date that but little of the original
structure remained at the time of its demolition. To archi-
tectural beauty it had but little claim, the gateway on the
Strand front being indeed the only portion worthy of pre-
servation on this score. Internally the ballroom was an
apartment of noble proportions, and the grand staircase was
a design of considerable merit, but beyond these there was
nothing in its architectural features worthy of any great con-
sideration.
It would appear that a house existed on this spot in the
time of Henry VIII., of which little or nothing is known,
but in the reign of James I. a mansion was erected by Henry
Howard, Earl of Northampton, in 1605, and was then known
as Northampton House, but subsequently passing into the
hands of the Earl of Suffolk its designation was changed to
Suffolk House.
In 1642 it passed by marriage into the possession of
Algernon Percy, Earl of Northumberland, and its name
was again altered to Northumberland House, a designation
which it retained during the remainder of its existence,
being in possession of the Dukes of Northumberland to the
last.
The house as erected by the Earl of Northampton con-
sisted of only three sides of a quadrangle, one towards the
Strand, with a wing on either side, the fourth side, fronting
the river, having been subsequently built by the Earl of
Suffolk ; but this was afterwards reconstructed by the Earl
of Northumberland from the designs of Inigo Jones. The
first building is said to have had for its architects Bernard
Jansen and Gerard Christmas. The greater part of the
Strand front was rebuilt about the middle of the eighteenth
288 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
century, but the central portion, over the gateway, was prob-
ably but little interfered with. It was at this time that the
ballroom was erected, forming a western wing projecting
towards the river on the garden front, together with a cor-
responding wing on the eastern side ; but this had no archi-
tectural pretensions, and was far from adding to the dignity
of the mansion.
The proposed demolition of this building was much can-
vassed at the time the suggestion for the formation of this
approach was first brought before the public, but now that
the Avenue has been flanked with buildings of good archi-
tectural elevation, few, probably, will be found to regret
that the old building has given place to a necessary and
handsome public thoroughfare,
The Duke naturally felt much reluctance to agree to the
destruction of a mansion which had been the residence of
his ancestors for two centuries, and consequently when appli-
cation was first made to Parliament in 1866 by the late Metro-
politan Board of Works to obtain power to purchase this
property for the formation of Northumberland Avenue, the
then Duke offered his strenuous opposition, and the Bill had
in consequence to be withdrawn. The Duke had previously
obtained the insertion of clauses in the Thames Embankment
Act of 1862 preventing the erection of lofty buildings on the
reclaimed ground between his property and the river.
The pressing necessity for an approach to the Embank-
ment roadway from Charing Cross became, however, every
year- more obvious. The late Duke having died in August,
1867, representations were made to his successor, pointing
out to him the importance of this Metropolitan improvement
and the impossibility of effecting it without the removal of
Northumberland House.
The late owner, although sharing the feeling of reluctance
of his predecessor, was at length induced to waive those
objections in favour of so great a public necessity, and with
his sanction an Act was passed in July, 1873, authorizing
the purchase of the mansion for the sum of £500,000. Pos-
VICTORIA EMBANKMENT GARDENS 289
session was obtained in July of the following year, but before
the house was pulled down the public were given an oppor-
tunity of inspecting it, and during the days set apart for
the purpose the building was visited by many thousands of
persons. The sale of the old materials realized £6,376, and
the ground was cleared in June, 1875. The lion, which was
such a conspicuous object in the Strand, has been carefully
re-erected with the arched pedestal on which it stood on the
river-front of Syon House, Isleworth.
Northumberland Avenue is well known for its imposing
buildings, which now occupy the site of the mansion and
grounds. It contains some of the largest hotels in London,
the Constitutional Club, and the offices of the Society for
Promoting Christian Knowledge.
-The Whitehall Gardens form a series of flower-beds
grouped round three statues, and together are an excellent
frontage to Whitehall Court, one of the handsomest
buildings in London. The three statues which add such
attraction to the gardens have been erected by public sub-
scription to Sir James Outram (the ' Bayard ' of India),
Bartle Frere, and a third to William Tyndale, the first
translator of the New Testament into English from the
Greek.
CHAPTER XV.
THE EMBANKMENT GARDENS (continued].
ALBERT EMBANKMENT GARDENS.
THE construction of the Southern or Albert Embank-
ment was commenced in July, 1866, and completed
in 1869, at a cost of £1,014,525, so that it was
finished before the twin work on the Middlesex shore,
although put in hand some years afterwards. The reason
for this more rapid progress was owing to the easier nature
of the work to be done. The Victoria Embankment was a
very complicated piece of engineering, owing partly to the
greater depth of water in which it had to be constructed,
partly to its combination with the formation of the sewer
and subway above, and- last, but by no means least, to the
execution of the underground railway works on its site.
The Embankment wall is of uniform character throughout
its length, and is similar in elevation to that on the Middle-
sex side, having a highly-dressed granite facing, and is
surmounted with a moulded parapet and plinth. The
mouldings are stopped at frequent intervals against plain
pedestals of granite, ornamented with bronze mooring rings
and standards for gas-lights. At a point about 800 feet
above Lambeth Bridge the wall was constructed in a trench
excavated out of the solid ground, and the space between it
and the water was excavated and thrown into the river-bed,
so as to increase its width, which was formerly very narrow.
The footway promenade running alongside the Embankment
ALBERT EMBANKMENT GARDENS 291
wall is reached by a broad flight of steps from Westminster
Bridge, which thus forms a connecting-link between the two
Embankments. The roadway diverges from the foot pro-
menade between Lambeth and Westminster Bridges, and
the reclaimed land is situated between the two. On the
greater portion of this are the blocks of buildings consti-
tuting the St. Thomas's Hospital, which add materially to
the architectural embellishment of this Embankment. The
governors had been compelled to give up their old hospital
in St. Thomas Street, Southwark, to make room for the
railway works near London Bridge. The remaining strips
of reclaimed land, partly fronting Lambeth Palace, have
been enclosed and planted and constitute the Albert
Embankment Gardens.
Before the formation of the Embankment the land in the
neighbourhood of the water was subject to periodical
flooding, and no doubt in ancient times the incursions of
the river were more serious, before any attempt was made
to confine it within bounds. The extensive district of
Lambeth Marsh, which is some distance from the river,
bears testimony to the far-reaching effects of the flooding.
The part of the foreshore upon which the Embankment has
been formed has been celebrated for its boat-building yards
as far back as the reign of Charles II. Pepys came 'to
Lambeth, and there saw the little pleasure-boat in building
by the King, my Lord Brouncker, and the virtuosos of the
town, according to new lines, which Mr. Pett cries up
mightily; but how it will prove we shall soon see.'* The
boat-building yards have now been removed higher up the
Thames, but the venerable palace of Lambeth, which has
stood here for centuries, still remains to add dignity and
picturesqueness to this bank of the river. It looks more like
a fortress than a Bishop's palace, and reminds us of those
feudal times when the King, the nobles, and the ecclesiastics
were all struggling for the supreme power.
For more than 600 years Lambeth Palace has been
* Pepys' ' Diary,' August 13, 1662.
ig— 2
292 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
the London residence of the Archbishops of Canterbury,
and much of the history of the English nation is wrapped
up in its walls. In the centre of the river-front is the
hall, a room of noble proportions, having a carved roof
similar to that of Westminster Hall. This part of the
building is the work of Archbishop Juxon, and dates back
to 1663. In it is placed the celebrated Lambeth Library,
established by Archbishop Bancroft in 1610, which com-
prises 30,000 volumes, and many valuable manuscripts
relating to the see. In this hall was held one of the most
famous trials of modern times, that of Dr. King, Bishop of
Lincoln, for ritualistic practices. The case was tried before
the Archbishop and five other Bishops, and in the end
Dr. King was acquitted of all the charges except two.
The oldest part of the palace is the chapel, built in 1245,
by Archbishop Boniface. It consists of nave only, 72 feet
long, and is divided by a handsomely-carved screen. The
only Archbishop buried here is Dr. Parker, who died in 1575,
and expressed a wish to be interred at the upper end ot
the chapel against the Communion-table. During the Civil
Wars his monument was destroyed, and his body exhumed
and submitted to other desecration. At this troublous time
the palace fell to the share of Colonel Scott, who pulled down
the hall and turned the chapel into a hall or dancing-room.
After the Reformation the remains of Archbishop Parker
were discovered and re-interred in their original place.
Underneath the chapel is a spacious crypt with finely-
groined roof, which probably dates from the middle of the
thirteenth century.
The so-called Lollards' Tower (properly the Water Tower)
adjoins the west end of the chapel. The exterior of this
end of the palace has a fine venerable appearance, and is
the only remaining part that is built entirely of stone. It
is thought to have received its name from a little prison at
the top, in which the Lollards wrere confined. The chief
features inside this prison are the iron rings fastened to the
wainscot which lines the walls. Besides the Lollards, other
ALBERT EMBANKMENT GARDENS
293
political prisoners have been secured here, including the
Earl of Essex, Queen Elizabeth's favourite (1601), Lovelace,
the poet (1648), and Sir Thomas Armstrong (1659). On
the exterior of the tower are the arms of Archbishop
Chicheley, who built this keep in 1434 ; and there is also
a fine Gothic niche, which formerly contained a statue of
Thomas a Becket.
Lambeth Palace and Albert Embankment Gardens.
At the opposite end of the palace is the gate-house, rebuilt
by Cardinal Morton about 1490. This magnificent building
consists of two immense square towers, with a spacious
gateway and postern in the centre ; the whole embattled
and built of red brick with stone dressings. The guard-
chamber, another fine hall, which runs parallel with the
west side of the library, was formerly the armoury, and
294 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
contained the weapons for the defence of the palace. These
warlike preparations are no longer needed, and the chief orna-
ments now are the portraits of the Archbishops since 1533.*
The grounds of the palace are very considerately given up
to the public for cricket and football, a boon which is much
appreciated in this crowded neighbourhood. One of the
' improvements ' made necessary by the formation of the Em-
bankment is much to be regretted, viz., the abolishing of the
terrace called Bishop's Walk, with its fine elm-trees. A view
of the palace by Hollar, dated 1647, shows it almost exactly
as it appears now, with the addition of these stately trees
and the stairs at the waterside, which formed an important
approach to the palace when communication by river was
more general.
CHELSEA EMBANKMENT GARDENS.
The third Embankment is at Chelsea, between the Royal
Military Hospital and Battersea Bridge. From Millbank to
Chelsea Hospital the river was already embanked, the work
having been done by the Commissioners of Her Majesty's
Works and Public Buildings. It was deemed desirable that
the thoroughfare along the river-side from Westminster
should be extended to Battersea Bridge, and the formation
of an embankment offered the opportunity, which was found
so useful in the case of the Victoria Embankment, of con-
structing with it a portion of the main sewerage works. The
Act of Parliament authorizing the Chelsea Embankment was
passed in 1868. The works were begun in July, 1871, and
completed in May, 1874. On the gth of that month the
new road was opened in state by the Duke and Duchess of
Edinburgh on behalf of the Queen. This was the first
public function performed by Their Royal Highnesses since
their marriage in the early part of that year. The length of
the Chelsea Embankment is rather more than f mile, and
the road is 70 feet wide. The execution of these works com-
* The particulars relating to Lambeth Palace are chiefly taken from
Allen's ' History of Lambeth.'
296 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
pleted a thoroughfare by the river-side, extending from Black-
friars to Battersea Bridge, 4^ miles in length. The net cost
of the undertaking was £269,591.
In the course of making the Embankment an old block of
houses, which stood between Battersea Bridge and Chelsea
Church, had to be removed, in order to widen the thorough-
fare. The backs of these houses fronted the river, and in
some places overhung it. After passing the church, the
width of the reclaimed land is sufficiently great to admit of
its being laid out as a garden. The gardens extend from
Church Street to Flood Street, which takes its name from
Luke Thomas Flood, a benefactor of the parish.
Chelsea, the ' village of palaces,' the home of Sir Thomas
More, Carlyle, Atterbury, Smollett, and many another
celebrity, was originally a village which clustered round the
silvery Thames, and from the strand of which it takes its
name. Norden says ' it is so called of the nature of the
place, whose strand is like the chesel which the sea casteth
up of sand and pebble stones, thereof called Cheselsey,
briefly Chelsey, as in Chelsey (i.e., Selsey) in Sussex.'* This
retired and rustic village formed a very pleasant retreat from
London, and at the end of the last century its character had
not materially altered. There is record of a stag-hunt in
Chelsea, which took place about 1796. The stag swam
across the river from Battersea, and made for Lord Cremorne's
grounds. Upon being driven from thence, it ran along the
waterside as far as the church, and turning up Church Lane
(now Church Street) took refuge at last in a barn, where it
was easily caught alive. f The pebbly strand of Chelsea
gave way in the course of time to unsightly mud-banks.
These in their turn have given way to the Embankment
roadway, planted with trees, and in parts relieved by the
ornamental gardens.
In the gardens opposite Cheyne Row is a statue by Boehm
of Thomas Carlyle, the ' philosopher of Chelsea.' This is
* Norden, 'Spec. Britannia': 'Middlesex,' p. 17.
t Faulkner, ' Chelsea.'
'O
298 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
appropriately placed near the house No. 24 (formerly No. 5)
which was his residence from 1834 till his death in February,
1881. The house in which he wrote ' The French Revolu-
tion," Cromwell,' the ' Latter-Day Pamphlets,' and ' Frederick
the Great,' is distinguished by a mural medallion of the sage.
In December, 1895, the centenary of his birth was com-
memorated, and this house was purchased for the sum of
£1,750, and will be preserved by a trust committee. It is
now open to the public on payment of a small fee. An
attempt has been made to collect all the relics which might
add interest to this historic house. In the garret-study,
which Carlyle made sound-proof because of the ' demon-
fowls,' is preserved the great writer's chair, several portraits,
and other memorials which have been lent. The inscription
on the statue runs as follows :
'THOMAS CARLYLE,
B. DEC. 4, 1795,
AT
ECCLEFECHAN, DUMFRIESSHIRE.
D. FEB. 5, 1881,
AT
GREAT CHEYNE Row,
CHELSEA.'
To the west of Oakley Street, facing the gardens, is a very
new house, styling itself the Ancient Magpie and Stump.
The ancient hostelry from which this residence takes its
name is one of the old landmarks of Chelsea which has
disappeared. It acquired its interest from the fact that it
was the house at which, from the time of Charles II., the
parish dinner was held. This was provided in past times
out of the funds bequeathed by Mr. Leverett, from whom
Leverett Street is named.* In front of this noted public-
house, which was burnt to the ground, was a notice-board
bearing the name of the inn, above which was an iron magpie
on an iron stump, with a rusty old weathercock. There
may still be traced the top-stone of an old water-staircase,
* Right Hon. Sir C. W. Dilke, 'Chelsea.' p. 3.
CHELSEA EMBANKMENT GARDENS
299
embedded in the ground forming the Embankment Garden,
which is now on the site of this sign. This staircase is as
historical as the York Water-gate in the Victoria Embankment
Gardens, for Queen Elizabeth must often have used it when
coming to Chelsea to visit her friend and subject, the powerful
Earl of Shrewsbury.* His mansion, Shrewsbury House,
was hard by the old church on the eastern side, afterwards
Shrewsbury House.
called Alston House. Several Earls of Shrewsbury lived in
this house, and also the famous Bess of Hardwicke, wife
of four husbands, the second of whom was Sir William
Cavendish, ancestor of the Dukes of Devonshire. She built
three of the most famous mansions in England — Hardwicke
Hall, Chatsworth, and Oldcoates. Lord Shrewsbury could
not get on well with her, and writes in his letters of the
' cunning devices of his malicious enemy, his wife.'f From
* B. E. Martin, 'Old Chelsea,' p. 129.
f Right Hon. Sir C. W. Dilke, ' Chelsea,' p. 23.
300 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
contemporary views of this house, it seems to have been an
irregular brick structure, much gabled, and built about a
quadrangle. In one of the rooms was a trap-door, giving
entrance to an underground passage, said to have been used
by the Jacobites of 1745.*
The next mansion eastward on the river - front was
Winchester House. When the ancient palace of the Bishops
of Winchester in Southwark was injured in the troubles of
the seventeenth century, an Act of Parliament was obtained
in 1663 authorizing them to purchase a new brick house at
Chelsea, then lately built by James, Duke of Hamilton.
This adjoined the manor-house, and was purchased for the
sum of £4,250. Winchester House was by this same Act
held to be within the Diocese of Winchester.! Externally,
this palace displayed little grandeur or magnificence. It was
built of red brick, and was two stories in height, forming a
quadrangle, with its principal entrance in the south front.
On the ground-floor of this side were the great hall, kitchen,
and chapel, the latter being of moderate dimensions. A
grand staircase at the eastern end led to three large drawing-
rooms, which extended the whole of the south front, and
were furnished in splendid style — a great contrast to the plain
exterior. Among those who lived in this palace must be
mentioned Trelawney of the song ' And shall Trelawney die,'
Bishop Hoadley, and the Hon. Brownlow North ; but after
his death the wife of his successor took a dislike to the house
altogether, and the Bishops left Chelsea for ever. A further
Act had accordingly to be obtained to enable the episcopal
residence to be sold, which was accomplished after some
difficulty. After the palace had gone to ruins, the remains
were sold by auction, and the whole fabric pulled down, and
upon its site have been built the Pier Hotel and the first
houses in Oakley Street.
The manor-house adjoining was built by Henry VIII. ,
who, it is said, formed a very favourable opinion of Chelsea
* B. E. Martin, 'Old Chelsea,' p. 129.
t Faulkner, 'Chelsea,' 1829 edition, vol. i., p. 285.
302
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
in his numerous visits to Sir Thomas More. He therefore
acquired the manor ; but finding that the manor-house was
ancient, and at that time in the possession of the Lawrence
family, he built a new manor-house, which fronted the
Thames between old Winchester House and Don Saltero's
coffee-house.* This building, too, was quadrangular, en-
closing a spacious court. From an old view of the manor-
The New Manor-House, or Chelsea Place, built by Henry VIII.
house, it seems to have been enlarged at various times in
varying styles of architecture, giving the whole a very patchy
appearance. Sir Hans Sloane was one of the chief notabilities
connected with this mansion, and during his residence here
he collected the library and other curios which afterwards
formed the nucleus of the British Museum. The manor-
house was pulled down in the middle of last century, after
* Faulkner, 'Chelsea,' 1829 edition, vol. i., p. 311.
I
Cx>
304 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
the death of Sir Hans Sloane, and part of Cheyne Walk now
occupies the site.
This terrace of red-brick houses, screened with a row of
well-established trees, is one of the most interesting and
historical spots in London. With their wrought-iron gates
and their old - fashioned architecture, they form a most
picturesque background to the gardens. Many of the original
houses in this row have had to be pulled down, and their
places taken by modern ones, but they have been rebuilt in
a style which harmonizes with the remainder. Cheyne Walk
takes its name from Viscount Cheyne, Lord of the Manor of
Chelsea towards the close of the seventeenth century. The
finest house in the row, No. 16, which can easily be dis-
tinguished by the figure of Mercury with which it is sur-
mounted, was the residence of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, poet
and painter. It is known as Queen's House, from its associa-
tions with Queen Catherine of Braganza. Legend states that
this mansion was built for this unfortunate and long-suffering
consort of Charles II., and some go so far as to say that she
lived in it.
Inside the gardens opposite his house, a fountain
has been erected to the memory of Rossetti. This was
designed by John P. Seddon, the architect, and the bronze
bust above it is the work of Ford Madox Brown, both
intimate friends of Rossetti. At No. 4 in this row, in
December, 1880, died George Eliot, the eminent novelist,
in the same house where, ten years before, Daniel Maclise,
equally celebrated as a painter, had passed away.*
On the site of No. 18, Cheyne Walk was Salter's or Don
Saltero's coffee-house. Salter was a jack-of-all-trades, poet
included, and in an advertisement of his establishment^ gives
a brief biographical notice of himself:
' Through various employs I've passed,
A scraper, virtuoso, projector,
Tooth-drawer, trimmer, and, at last,
I'm now a gimcrack whim collector.'
* B. E. Martin, ' Old Chelsea.'
t Weekly Journal^ June 22, 1723.
CHELSEA EMBANKMENT GARDENS
305
He was a trusted servant of Sir Hans Sloane, who gave him
a large number of curiosities. With these he furnished his
* Museum Coffee-house,' opened in 1695, and many other
celebrities contributed towards his collection, which became
Don Saltero's, Cheyne Walk, 1840.
quite famous in its day. He was christened ' Don Saltero '
by Vice- Admiral Munden, who had spent many years on the
coast of Spain, and had acquired a fondness for Spanish
titles.* When the Don died, the museum was continued by
* Gentleman's Magazine, 1799.
20
3o6
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
his daughter, Mrs. Kali, but having lost the personality
of its former owner, the receipts fell off, and in 1799 the
collection was sold by auction, but only realized a little
over £50.
Don Saltero is not the only eccentricity of which Cheyne
Walk can boast. At No. 4, John Camden Neild, the miser,
Cheyne Walk, 1750.
dragged out a miserable existence. When he died, in 1852,
he left his savings, amounting to half a million sterling, to
the Queen, who caused a painted window to be erected to
his memory at North Marston, near Aylesbury, where he
was buried.*
* Cassell's ' Old and New London,1 vol. v., p. 60.
CHELSEA EMBANKMENT GARDENS 307
Here also, at No. 6, lived Dominicetti, the Italian quack,
who made a great stir with the medicated baths which he
established in Cheyne Walk in 1765. At one of Dr. John-
son's chatty evenings the subject of Dominicetti's baths was
mentioned. The doctor thought there was no efficacy in the
much-boasted system, but someone in the company ventured
to disagree with him, when he retorted : ' Well, sir, go to
Dominicetti, and get thyself fumigated ; but be sure that the
steam be directed to thy head, for that is the peccant part.'*
For all this, Dominicetti is said to have had under his care
more than 16,000 persons.
One of the chief features of this side of the river is Old
Chelsea Church, which is the commencing-point of the
gardens. It is composed chiefly of brick, and though adding
picturesqueness to the scene, it is not conspicuous for its
beauty. Its various parts have been erected at different
periods, with no attempt at architectural harmony, so that
the whole has rather an incongruous effect. The oldest part
of the structure, dating back to the fourteenth century, is a
chapel of the Lawrence family, at the eastern end of the
north aisle. Another ancient chapel is that built by Sir
Thomas More, one of the chief historical personages con-
nected with Chelsea. This chapel is at the east end of the
south aisle. There is a mural tablet to him in the south
side of the chancel, surmounted by a flat Gothic arch, but it
seems certain that his remains are not interred here. The
peculiar feature about the More Chapel is that until recently
it was private property exempt from the control of the
authorities of the Church. It was purchased, however, by
a Mr. R. H. Davies, and presented to the Vicar and church-
wardens, and has since been restored. At the corner of the
churchyard nearest to the gardens is a monument to Sir
Hans Sloane, which consists of a large vase of white marble
around which serpents are entwined, under a portico sup-
ported by four square pillars. The wall of the church facing
* Boswell, * Life of Johnson,' vol. ii., p. 72.
2O — 2
3o8 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
the river has a number of monuments to various members of
the Chamberlayne family.
Lawrence Street, to the east of the church, is famous as
being the birthplace of the Chelsea china, which is so
eagerly sought after by collectors.* At the upper end of this
street, at the corner of Justice Walk, the china factory was
established in 1745, but why it failed, and why the manu-
facture was discontinued, is one of those mysteries which
time does not seem to solve.
There are a few small enclosures close by known as the
Pimlico Shrubberies, which were transferred to the late
Metropolitan Board of Works in connection with Battersea
Park. They comprise the shrubberies at the end of Vauxhall
Bridge (which will probably be absorbed in forming the new
bridge), the enclosures at the back of the wharves along
Grosvenor Road, the river-banks near the Victoria Suspen-
sion Bridge, and a rectangular piece of ground at the end of
St. George's Square, which has since been laid out as a garden.
At the south-western corner of Putney Bridge there is a small
enclosure, not large enough to be opened to the public,
which is also maintained by the London County Council.
* B. E. Martin, ' Old Chelsea,' p. 132.
CHAPTER XVI.
FINSBURY PARK—CLISSOLD PARK.
FINSBURY PARK.
FINSBURY PARK is in point of date the second of
London's municipal parks, although the Act
authorizing its construction is the oldest relating
to the municipal parks of the Metropolis. To trace
the earliest steps which led to its formation, we must go back
nearly fifty years, when a borough meeting of the inhabitants
of Finsbury was convened, in 1850, and a committee ap-
pointed for the purpose of obtaining a park for the northern
suburbs of the Metropolis. The resolution then carried was,
' That a park on the borders of a district so large as the
borough of Finsbury, and containing a dense industrial
population of nearly half a million, is universally admitted
to be a public necessity.' In the same year representations
were made to the Government, showing the urgent need for
such a park, in consequence of the buildings which had
spread over the Shepherd and Shepherdess Fields, the Rose-
mary Branch Fields, Spa Fields, White Conduit Fields, and
other open spaces, which, while available for the recreation
of the community at large, were more particularly used by
the inhabitants of the city of London and borough of Fins-
bury. Successive administrations of the Government favour-
ably entertained the scheme, and under that of Lord John
Russell surveys were made, plans prepared, and notices
served on the occupiers of the land, but the operations were
3io
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
suspended by the succession of Lord Derby as Prime Minister.
In the new regime, the proposal was again considered, and
the Government once more decided to give the Parliamentary
notices, and deposit plans as before. But another Ministerial
change prevented the carrying out of the undertaking, and
in Lord Aberdeen's Cabinet it was decided to defer all
operations till the passing of the Act which vested in the
Floii'er-Beds, Finsbury Park
late Metropolitan Board of Works
the power of making parks, and of
effecting other improvements. The
Finsbury Park committee had sub-
mitted to Parliament plans and estimates of the lands pro-
posed to be acquired, and Viscount Palmerston promised to
advise Her Majesty's Government to contribute £50,000,
or one quarter of the supposed cost. When the new body,
the Metropolitan Board of Works, came into power, the
question of parks and open spaces was one of the first to be
considered, and, as a consequence, the Finsbury Park Act,
FINSBURY PARK 311
, was obtained. By this the late Board were authorized
to acquire for the purposes of the park any portion of certain
lands, specified in the Act, which contained altogether 250
acres, and it was provided that 20 acres should be reserved
for building purposes. The enthusiasm of the Board
cooled down, however, especially when the Government
negatived the proposed grant of £50,000, and many years
passed away without any practical steps being taken. At
last a smaller area of 115 acres was purchased at a cost
of about £472 per acre, after the scheme had been nearly
abandoned altogether, and Finsbury Park was secured for
the public for ever. The park was opened by Sir John
Thwaites, Chairman of the Board, on August 7, 1869.
The name which Finsbury Park bears has been the subject
of much adverse criticism, seeing that it is separated from
Finsbury by many large districts ; but when it is considered
that the original intention of the committee was to provide a
park for the inhabitants of the borough of Finsbury, the
name does not seem so much out of place.
The ground slopes gently down on all sides from the lake,
which is the highest point, and the eastern boundary is
formed by the Seven Sisters Road and Green Lanes. The
Great Northern Railway bounds it by a cutting and em-
bankment on the western side, and Finsbury Park Station
adjoining makes the park conveniently accessible from the
Metropolis. Inside the gates there is provision for all kinds
of sport and recreation — cricket, lawn-tennis, and football
grounds, gymnasia, a boating lake well stocked with water-
fowl, and a bandstand for musical performances. There are
a number of flower-beds and ornamental shrubberies, while a
roomy decorative house with a varied display of flowering
plants, winter and summer alike, forms a permanent attrac-
tion. In its season, too, the annual show of chrysanthemums
brings a large number of visitors to the park who have an
opportunity of seeing blooms uncontaminated with the smoke
which spoils those at places nearer London. From the
plateau round the lake there is a fine view northwards
,12
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
towards High Beech and Epping Forest, although the build-
ing of houses in the neighbourhood has interfered with the
immediate rural surroundings of the park. The New River
runs at the foot of the northern slope of the hill, and adds
much to the appearance of the cricket-ground.
It is satisfactory to think that the gloomy prognostications
of those who condemned the scheme at the outset have not
been fulfilled. One leading journal at the time of opening
Manor-House Entrance, Finsbury Park.
predicted that the park would never become popular during
this century, and perhaps the best answer that could be given
to this prophecy would be to visit the park on some Saturday
afternoon and then judge. The money spent on the acquisi-
tion and formation of Finsbury Park has by no means been
wasted, and it will always be one of the most popular parks
in the north of the Metropolis.
The south-east side of the parish of Hornsey, including
Finsbury Park, is in the sub-manor of Brownswood, which
FINSBURY PARK 313
is the corps of a prebend in St. Paul's Cathedral. By a
survey taken in 1649 it appears that this manor had been
demised to John Harrington in the year 1569 for ninety-nine
years, and that by several mesne assignments it was then
the property of Lady Kemp, the reserved rent being £19 per
annum. It was sold, together with the Manor of Friern-
Barnet, to Richard Utber for the sum of £3,228 45. zod. In
1681 Sir Thomas Draper, Bart., was lessee under the pre-
bendary. His wife bequeathed the benefit of the lease to
John Baber, who assigned it in 1750 to John Jennings, and
eight years later Richard Saunders, the last owner's sole
executor, became lessee. His only surviving son, Thomas,
in 1789, sold the lease to John Willan. The manor court
was held in the Hornsey Wood tavern. The descent of this
manor does not present any features of particular interest,
but among the eminent men who have held the prebend of
Brownswood may be mentioned Bishop Fox, the founder of
Corpus Christi College at Oxford.*
In the neighbourhood of the park we still have Browns-
wood Road and Manor-House Tavern to remind us of the
Manor of Brownswood and of its manor-house, which has
now disappeared.
Finsbury Park occupies a part of the site of Hornsey Wood
House and grounds. This Hornsey Wood was itself part of
a larger forest or park called Hornsey Park, the property of
the Bishops of London. This, again, it is hardly necessary
to add, was a part of the extensive forest of Middlesex.
Hornsey Park has played much the same part in history in
the north of London as Blackheath in the south, and has
furnished a meeting-place for princes and a field for the dis-
play of that pageantry which delighted our forefathers.
The earliest of these took place in 1386, in the eventful
reign of Richard II., when the Duke of Gloucester, together
with the Earls of Arundel and Warwick, and several other
noblemen, resorted to arms in order to oppose Robert de
Vere, Earl of Oxford, whom the King had created Duke of
* Lysons, * Environs of London,' vol. ii., part ii., p. 423.
314 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Ireland. They assembled in this park and were sufficiently
strong to alarm the King, who requested a meeting at West-
minster. He there ' gave them fair words, took them into
his chamber, and made them drink together.' This appa-
rently had the same effect as it would have at the present
day, for the drinking was the pledge of friendship, and the
insurgent nobles then disbanded their followers.*
Another historical personage associated with Hornsey
Park is the boy-King, Edward V. His model uncle, Richard
of Gloucester, was escorting him to London, there to have
The Boating Lake, Finsbury Park.
him murdered in the Tower with his younger brother. An
old chronicler tells us ' when the kynge approached nere
the cytee, Edmonde Shawe, goldsmythe, then Mayre of
the cytie, with the aldermenne and shreves in skarlet, and
five hundreth commoners in murraye (i.e., violet), receyved
his Grace reverently at Harnesay Parke, and so conveighed
him to the cytie, where he entered the fourth day of May,
in the fyrst and last yere of his reigne.'t The Duke, with
his numerous followers, all attired in mourning, must have
* Brewer, * London and Middlesex,' vol. iv., p. 212.
f Hall's Chronicle, p. 351, quoted in Thome's ' Environs of London.'
FINSBURY PARK 3' 5
formed a sombre contrast to this gay scene. He rode before
the King, cap in hand, bowing low to the people and pointing
out to them their rightful ruler, who was so soon to be taken
from them. The people were too awed and apprehensive of
danger to be hearty in their welcome, and time soon showed
what just grounds they had for their fear.
The next monarch we have to record at Hornsey Park is
Henry VII., who was greeted here by the Mayor and citizens
of London after his return from a successful war in Scotland.*
Hornsey Wood must have been a place of particular beauty
at the beginning of this century. It was a great place of
attraction on Palm Sunday, when it was ravaged for the so-
called palms. The popularity of the Hornsey Wood Tavern,
which stood just to the south of the present lake, was de-
pendent upon the visitors to the woods. Hone thus apos-
trophizes the old tavern :
' A house of entertainment — in a place
So rural, that it almost doth deface
The lovely scene ; for like a beauty-spot
Upon a charming cheek that needs it not,
So Hornsey Tavern seems to me.'f
The tavern stood on the summit of some rising ground,
and was originally a small roadside public-house, with two or
three widespreading oaks before it, which afforded a pleasant
shade to its frequenters. The wood itself immediately ad-
joining the tavern for some time shared with Chalk Farm
the honour of affording a rendezvous for the settlement of
affaires d'honneur.% From contemporary accounts we gather
that the house was a ' good, plain, brown-brick, respectable,
modern, London-looking building.' On the left of the
entrance was a light and spacious room of ample accommo-
dation and dimensions, which boasted a fine leather folding
screen. The neglect of this screen called forth Hone's
indignation, who describes it as bearing some remains of a
* Howitt, ' Northern Heights/ p. 432.
t Hone, ' Everyday Book,' p. 759.
I Lloyd, ' Highgate,' p. 297.
3i6
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
spirited painting spread all over its leaves, to represent the
amusements and humours of a fair in the Low Countries.
Hornsey Wood Tavern and its grounds displaced a romantic
portion of the wood, which was a favourite resort of Crabbe.
' On one memorable occasion he had walked further than
usual in the country, and felt himself too much exhausted to
return to town. He could not afford to give himself any
refreshment at a public-house, and much less pay for a
The Old Hornsey Wood House. (From an old woodcut.)
lodging, so he sheltered himself upon a haymow, beguiled
the evening with Tibullus, and when he could read no
longer, slept there till morning.'* Crabbe used to come to
Hornsey Wood to search for plants and insects, and often
he would spend whole afternoons here in his favourite pursuit.
Although called a wood, it was properly little more than a
thicket, for the small trees, shrubs and bushes were so inter-
woven that in some places it was impassable.
* ' Life of Crabbe,' by his son.
FINSBURY PARK 317
There have been two Hornsey Wood Houses. The first,
as we have seen, was an unpretentious roadside inn, which
well became its situation, and harmonized with its rural
surroundings. Hone describes it as being kept by two
sisters, Mrs. Lloyd and Mrs. Collier, ' ancient women and
large in size.' Their favourite seat was on a bench fixed
between two venerable oaks, which furnished a home for
swarms of bees, and here the two ancient dames would talk
of bygone days as they sipped a friendly glass with their
customers. In a ripe old age they both passed to their
The New Hornsey Wood House.
graves within a few months of one another. But Hornsey
Wood had to move with the times, and the old place was
pulled down and the oaks felled in order to make room for
a larger and more fashionable successor. The new pro-
prietor spent some £10,000 in making the alterations, and
he formed a lake on the site of the present ornamental
waters. This lake, which was well stocked with fish, afforded
more hope of sport to the London angler than the New
River, and the pleasant walk around it, together with the
318 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
beauties of the prospect, combined to make the tavern, with
its grounds and tea-gardens, as attractive as the present
park. Another sport much patronized in the grounds was
pigeon-shooting, but in course of time Hurlingham and the
Welsh Harp became the head-quarters of this fashionable
pastime.* The tea-drinking in the tavern gardens declined
in course of time, owing to the great number of places of
the same kind being established nearer London. One of
the first acts in the laying-out of the park was the pulling
down of the Hornsey Wood Tavern, which has given its
name to another place of refreshment on the east side of
the park.
Skirting the park on the south-eastern boundary is Seven
Sisters Road, which was formed in 1831-33, and connects
Holloway and Tottenham. The Seven Sisters, from which
the road takes its name, is the sign of two public-houses at
Tottenham. In front of the one at Page Green, near the
entrance to the village, were seven elm-trees in a circle,
which are the sisters in question. Tradition says that these
trees were planted by seven sisters when about to separate,
and it is also said that this is the spot on which many a
martyr had been burnt. In 1840 the elms were con-
sidered to be nearly 500 years old, but they were then fast
going to decay. Thirty years later only their dead trunks
were standing, and now all trace of them has disappeared. f
It was intended originally that the portion of the park
fronting Seven Sisters Road should be reserved for building
sites, in order to recoup a portion of the sum expended in
the formation of the park, but in consequence of consider-
able pressure which was brought to bear upon the late
Board, they decided not to reduce the area available for
recreation.
Some little difficulty was experienced wrhen the park was
first opened owing to a clause in the original Act which gave
some adjoining owners a right of way through the park
* Hone, ' Everyday Book,' p. 760.
f Thome, ' Environs of London,7 part ii., p. 622.
FINSBURY PARK
319
between Seven Sisters Road and the Green Lanes. This
had to be kept open always, so that the park could not be
closed at night-time, and much annoyance and even danger
was experienced through the passage of droves of cattle at
all hours of the day and night. Eventually, in 1874, these
restrictions were modified, and power was obtained in
another Act to construct a road skirting the northern and
The Lake, Finsbury Park.
western sections of the park. The three parts of this road
are called Endymion Road, Stapleton Hall Road, and Upper
Tollington Park. Stapleton Hall was once a celebrated
place of entertainment, much after the style of Hornsey
Wood Tavern, and the many other places of a similar
character in the neighbourhood.
The last point of interest we will call attention to is that
320 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
underneath the tennis-ground is a huge covered reservoir
belonging to the East London Waterworks Company. This
reservoir was formed under the powers of the East London
Waterworks Act, 1867, in connection with a supply of water
from the river Thames, which is brought from Sunbury'to the
storage-bed in Finsbury Park. The soil above still remains
part of the park, as the company were only empowered to
purchase an easement and right to construct and maintain
the reservoir and pipes.
CLISSOLD PARK.
Clissold Park, perhaps better known locally as Stoke
Newington Park, which sufficiently indicates its locality,
consists of 53 acres. Although it was opened by the Earl of
Rosebery, the first Chairman of the London County Council,
on July 24, 1889, the credit for its acquisition is due to their
predecessors, the Metropolitan Board of Works, who, how-
ever, passed out of office before seeing the fruit of their
labours in this connection. It was acquired under the
Clissold Park (Stoke Newington) Act, 1887, from the
Ecclesiastical Commissioners at a cost of £96,000, made
up as follows :
Charity Commissioners - ,£47,500
Metropolitan Board of Works - 25,000
Vestry of Stoke Newington - - 10,000
South Hornsey Local Board- - 6,000
Hackney District Board - - 5,000
Vestry of Islington - - 2,500
.£96,000
As the park before being opened to the public consisted of
the grounds of a large mansion, it had all the benefit of the
many fine trees which now form so prominent a feature in
its landscape. In this it had a great advantage over its
neighbour, Finsbury Park, which was originally nothing but
agricultural land, and it must be some years before the
trees and shrubs then planted will equal the beauty of
CLISSOLD PARK
321
those in Clissold Park. The cedars on the lawn are fine
specimens, and one of the thorns is said to be the oldest in
England.
Another attraction of the park is the New River, no longer
new, whose sluggish waters coil round and through it.
This is spanned by three miniature bridges, and, alas for
the beauty of the landscape ! it has to be guarded on both
sides by two grim rows of iron fencing, not only for the sake
The Deer-Pen, Clissold Park.
of safety, but to protect the fish with which it abounds
from the grasp of would-be anglers. If the site of the
park had fallen into the hands of the builders, the river
would have continued its course in underground pipes, and
so one of the few remaining beauties of Stoke Newington
would have been lost for ever. We can well understand
Robinson writing : ' Besides the incalculable convenience
which the supply of water affords, the New River must ever
be considered as one of the greatest ornaments to those
places through which it passes ;' and he singles out as the
21
322 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
most prominent example the site of our present park.*
The quaint brick towers which are seen from the park
belong to the adjacent pumping station of the New River
Company.
But to those who would not be drawn by the beauties of
the landscape, or the quiet cool shade by the river banks,
other inducements are offered. Clissold Park was one of
the first London municipal parks in which bird and animal
life was specially provided for. Hitherto the various water-
fowl on the lakes were the only attractions of this kind ; but
some deer and guinea-pigs were presented by some generous
members of the public, and were placed as a trial in this
park. Every Londoner is familiar with the deer contained
in such large areas as Bushey and Richmond Parks, but to
confine them to the necessarily small space in this park was a
bold experiment. Fortunately, it has proved quite successful,
and the deer enclosure is never without an admiring crowd.
In addition to these, there is also an aviary stocked with British
birds, and the time may not be far distant when the example
of the Zoological Gardens is followed in providing elephant
and camel rides for the juvenile visitors. Among the mis-
cellaneous buildings provided for the comfort and recrea-
tion of the public must be mentioned a bandstand, where
weekly performances are given during the season, and
shelters built in a rustic manner to harmonize with the
surroundings.
The mansion in the park, which is situated on the rising
ground at the back of the old church, is at present un-
tenanted, although one or two rooms are used for refresh-
ment and other purposes. Several proposals have been on
foot to convert it into a museum, but this object has not yet
been achieved. It is a plain brick structure, with a classic
colonnade in front. The bricks used in its erection were
made from the clay dug on the portion of the park where
the lakes are now. The date when it was built is n ot known
* Robinson, ' History of Stoke Newington,' p. 6.
CLISSOLD PARK 323
exactly, but it is shown in a view of Stoke Newington by
Ellis, dated January i, 1793.* The greater part of this
view is taken up with the New River, but the mansion and
the old church are seen in the background. The first
occupant was Jonathan Hoare, one of the famous race of
bankers of that name. The village of Stoke Newington
was a favourite resort for bankers at this time — such men as
Burnand, Twells, Leicester, and Bevan, having taken up
their residence here. It soon afterwards carne into the
possession of Mr. Thomas Gudgeon, who lived here in 1804.
The next occupant was Mr. Crawshay, who was also the
owner of about 27 acres of the adjoining land. He obtained
a perpetual lease of the property from the Ecclesiastical
Commissioners, at a yearly rental of £109 'and a fat turkey,'
but provisoes were inserted in the covenant against the
cutting down of trees, or the granting of building leases. A
romantic story is connected with the mansion while he lived
here. It appears he had two daughters, one of whom
captured the heart of the Rev. Augustus Clissold, a curate
at the neighbouring church. The father, who was gifted
with an irascible temper, hated parsons, and would not hear
of the match ; the curate was forbidden to visit the house,
and the lovers were compelled to communicate with each
other through messengers, whom the father threatened to
shoot. It is even said that Mr. Crawshay had the walls
increased in height, and so the unfortunate pair had to wait
and wait, till at last their patience was rewarded, for the irate
parent died, the lovers were married, and the curate entered
into possession of the mansion and grounds. He altered
the name from Crawshay's Farm to Clissold's Place or
Park. On the death of the Rev. Augustus Clissold the
mansion once more reverted to the Crawshay family, and
Mr. George Crawshay became its owner. A memento of
his ownership exists in a mural drinking-fountain at the
* A copy of this may be seen hung up (together with other interesting
views of Old Stoke Newington) in the adjacent Free Library. They were
the gift of E. J. Sage, Esq.
21 — 2
324
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
north end of the mansion, which bears the following-
inscription :
' In memory of three sweet sisters, aged i, 3, 4, daughters of Wilson
Yeates, Esq., interred at Horton, Bucks, 1834. Erected by their sister,
Rose Mary Crawshay (widow), 1893,'
His business as the proprietor of large iron mines in
Wales did not leave him many opportunities of visiting his
Stoke Newington property, so he tried to let it, as he was
prevented by a covenant in his lease from cutting the
grounds into small plots for the erection of villas. Not
The Mansion, Clissold Park.
being successful in this, the only course left open was
to sell the mansion and grounds, and as soon as it was
known in 1884 that Mr. Crawshay was desirous of realizing
the property, an influential committee was formed to en-
deavour to make terms for its purchase as a park for the
use of the public. These negotiations, however, came to no
successful issue, and early in 1886 large notice-boards were
displayed advertising the sale of about 20 acres of the free-
hold estate, over which the owner had absolute control.
About the same time Mr. Crawshay wrote to the Times, in
which he said : ' I have expressly reserved the 5^ acres free-
CLISSOLD PARK 325
hold on which the old house stands because of the extreme
beauties of the ground, which, together with the well-timbered
leasehold and the shaded and encircling waters of the New
River, make up a whole which I trust will never be destroyed.'
After this assurance all were surprised to learn that Mr. Craw-
shay had sold his interest in the whole of the estate for £65,000
to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, who had already pre-
pared to plot out the land for building purposes. No time
was lost in communicating with that body, and the amount
fixed as purchase-money for the whole of the park was
,£95,000. This was raised by various means, as we have
already seen ; but the Commissioners, who have shown
themselves very liberal landlords at other places in London,
have a right to be included among the list of contributors.
The time occupied in raising the purchase-money extended
over two years, and the accumulated interest amounted to
nearly £5,000, or a total of £100,000, towards which only
£96,000 had been received. The deficit in the interest was
most generously foregone by the Commissioners, and Clissold
Park thus became open to the public for ever.*
Two members of the committee who had thus secured
Clissold Park for the public deserve to be singled out for
special mention, viz., Joseph Beck and John Runtz, both of
whom have now passed away. A handsome drinking-fountain,
on an elevated site near the centre of the park, has been
erected as a permanent memorial to their labours. The
inscription on the front panel runs :
THIS FOUNTAIN
WAS ERECTED BY SUBSCRIPTION,
A.D. 1890,
IN GRATEFUL RECOGNITION OF THE UNITED EFFORTS OF
JOSEPH BECK,
JOHN RUNTZ,
AS LEADERS OF THE MOVEMENT BY WHICH THE USE OF THE
PARK WAS SECURED TO THE PUBLIC FOR EVER.
* For many of the particulars of these negotiations I am indebted to
an interesting little book entitled 'The Story of Church Street, Stoke
Newington,' by Giltspur.
326 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
On one of the side-panels are the simple words :
JOSEPH BECK,
MEMBER OF
COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL
and on the opposite side :
JOHN RUNTZ,
MEMBER OF
METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS.
The adjoining Free Library also contains oil-paintings of
both these gentlemen, so that they are not likely to be soon
forgotten.
The works of laying out the property for public use were
rapidly pushed on, and consisted of the usual formation of
paths, drainage, laying on water-supply, and the erection of
boundary and other fencing. The lakes which had been
filled in were re - excavated, and they have been locally
christened Beckmere and Runtzmere.
Stoke Newington (from Saxon stoc, a wood) means the
new town in the wood, and no doubt this district formed
part of the extensive forest of Middlesex, and so late as the
year 1649 there were upwards of 77 acres of woodland in
demesne.* The little village of Stoke Newington, like many
another populous suburb, has only of late years developed
into a busy centre of town life. At the commencement of
the present century, it consisted of a single straggling street
(Church Street) in the midst of fields. Many illustrious
names, however, are connected with this former rural retreat.
John Howard, the prison reformer ; Defoe, the author of
' Robinson Crusoe ' ; Dr. Watts, the hymn-writer, and many
other celebrities, claimed it as their home, and but few are
aware of the classic ground which the modern common-
place Stoke Newington covers. Most of the simple beauty
of the erstwhile village has also disappeared ; the old church
nestling amidst the trees which nearly hide it from view, a
* Robinson, ' History of Stoke Newington,' p. i.
C LI S SOLD PARK
327
row of tiled Queen Anne houses, and Clissold Park are all
that remain.
The park is situate in two different parishes — Stoke
Newington and Hornsey — and forms part of the lands of
two distinct manors. The portion around the mansion is in
the prebendal Manor of Neutone (Stoke Newington), whilst
the remainder through which the New River flows is within
the prebendal Manor of Brownswood.* The Manor of Stoke
The New River and Paradise Row, Clissold Park.
Newington, now vested in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners,
has been the property of the Prebendary of Newington from
very early times. In Doomsday Book, Neutone is mentioned,
as the property of the Canons of St. Paul's, and their owner-
ship can be traced back to the time of King Athelstan, about
the year 940. It was held by the prebendaries in their own
hands till 1550, when it was first leased to William Patten,
one of the Tellers of the Receipt of the Queen's Exchequer at
Westminster, and Receiver-General of her revenues in the
* For descent of this manor, see p. 312.
328 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
county of York. A new lease was granted to Mr. Patten in
1565 for ninety-nine years at £19 per annum, which was
assigned about 1571 to John Duddeleye. He died in 1580,
leaving his property to his wife and daughter. The former
married Thomas Sutton in 1582, and after his death, in 1611,
the manor came into the possession of Sir Francis Popham,
who had married Anne Dudley. It was next the property
of his son John, who died without issue, and was succeeded
by his brother Alexander, who, during the Civil War, rose
to the rank of Colonel in the Parliamentary army, and was
returned member for Minehead, Bath, and Somersetshire
successively. When the prebendal estate was sequestered
and sold, in 1649, under the provisions of the Act for the
abolishing of Deans, Deans and Chapters, Canons, Prebends,
Colonel Popham purchased it of the sequestrators for the
sum of £1,925 45. 6Jd., so that he became Lord of the
Manor in fee, and continued so until the Restoration, when
the Church recovered its rights, and-he returned to his former
state of lessee. The manor remained in the Popham family
till 1699, when the lease was sold to Thomas Gunston. On
his death it came to his sister, who was the wife of Sir
Thomas Abney, Lord Mayor of London, and when he died
she entered into full possession. Lady Abney, by her will,
directed the lease and estate to be sold, and, after the pay-
ment of certain legacies, the residue was to be distributed
' to poor Dissenting ministers, to poor Dissenting ministers'
widows, and other objects of charity.' The manor and
estate were put up to auction in 1783, and purchased by
Jonathan Eade for £13,000. He died in 1811, and bequeathed
the manor to his sons William and Joseph Eade. The
Prebendary obtained an Act in 1814 to enable him to grant
a new lease for ninety-nine years to these two gentlemen.
William Eade assigned his interest to his brother in 1815,
who then sold these lands to the late Mr. Crawshay, who
also purchased the reversion from the Prebendary. This
portion of the park, then, within the Manor of Stoke
Newington, was the freehold of Mr. Crawshay.
CLISSOLD PARK
329
The Manor of Brownswood, in which the remainder is
situate, was vested in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners upon
the death of Prebendary Seeker, and by them a lease was
granted to Mr. Crawshay, who thus possessed the whole
property. The park also includes a small strip of the waste
of this manor. This strip, containing 24 perches, was en-
closed by Mr. Crawshay under the Act 53 George III.,
entitled ' An Act for enclosing Lands in the Parish of
Hornsey,' in satisfaction for his right of common upon the
The Bandstand, Clissold Park.
waste lands in the parish of Hornsey in respect of his copy-
hold estate. We have already seen how Mr. Crawshay sold
his interest in the estate to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners,
from whom the land was bought.
The author of the ' Ambulator ' (1774) in describing Stoke
Newington as ' a pleasant village near Islington, where a
great number of the citizens of London have built houses,
and rendered it extremely populous, more like a large
flourishing town than a village,' goes on to speak of the
330 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
church, and afterwards of a celebrated walk of very ancient
origin. He says :.' Behind the church is a pleasant grove
of tall trees, where the inhabitants resort for the benefit of
shade and a wholesome air.'* This 'Mall' of the Stoke
Newington folk is what is known at the present day as
Queen Elizabeth's Walk. It is still a pleasing avenue,
although very few of the original trees remain.
Many are the attempts which have been made to connect
' Good Queen Bess ' with this corner of the world. Tradition
centres round the old manor-house as the place where she
stayed. This house, which was probably erected in 1500,
was pulled down in consequence of its dilapidated condition
in 1695. About the time of Elizabeth, either before or after,
some relatives of the celebrated Earl of Leicester were living
here. The Dudley arms were found in one of the houses
built upon its site, and probably came from this mansion.
The parish register also contains an entry of the burial of
a servant of the Countess of Leicester in 1682, and this
possibly confirms the truth of the statement. While the
Dudleys were here it is said that the Princess Elizabeth came
to this house in hiding during the reign of her half-sister,
Queen Mary. A former Rector of the parish, the Rev.
Thomas Jackson, describes the story as current in the
village in the last century that ' when the Princess was the
hope of the Protestants, exasperated by persecution, she
was brought by her friends to the secluded manor-house,
embosomed in trees, as to a secure asylum, where she
might communicate with her friends, and be ready for any
political emergency. They tell us that an ancient brick
tower stood, in the early part of the last century, near the
mansion, and that a staircase was remembered leading to
the identical spot where the Princess was concealed.' It is
not unlikely, then, that during her seclusion she trod this
very path which now bears her name. When afterwards she
was crowned, it is well authenticated that she visited the
Dudleys, and that on one occasion ' Her Majesty, taking a
* Quoted in ' Old and New London/ vol. v., p. 530.
CLISSOLD PARK
331
jewel of great value from her hair, made a present of it
to their daughter, Miss Ann Dudley.'* The Dudleys of
Stoke Newington are but little known to history, and no
confirmation of the tradition connecting the seclusion of
the Princess Elizabeth with this mansion can be found.
After the death of Mr. Dudley his widow married Thomas
Sutton, who is best remembered as the founder of the Charter-
house School and Hospital.
They lived at this manor-
house till their removal to
Hackney. The Miss Ann
Dudley mentioned above
married Sir Francis Popham,
Queen Elizabeth's Walk in 1800.
the son of Sir John Popham, Chief Justice of the Queen's
Bench from 1592 to 1607, and not only they, but their son,
Colonel Alexander Popham, lived in the mansion. The last
owner, Timothy Matthews, citizen and grocer, cleared away
the buildings and let the site on building lease. f The houses
from the churchyard to that called Manor House are on the
site of the old manor-house and grounds.
* Bearcroft, ' History of Mr. Sutton,' quoted in Robinson.
t Robinson, ' History of Stoke Newington,' pp. 48-54.
332
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Running almost parallel with Queen Elizabeth's Walk,
and forming the western boundary of the park, is another
thoroughfare which boasts a rural name, Green Lanes.
This is now lined with substantial villas, and contains here
and there the remains of what were once, no doubt, con-
tinuous avenues of trees. The noise of the tramcars passing
Clissold Park, with Old Stoke Newington Church in the Background.
along it dispels any lingering trace of rusticity which it
might possess. In this walk James Mill used to take his
daily airing, hand-in-hand, perhaps, with his portentous
little son John, if, indeed, two such philosophic minds
can be supposed ever to have condescended to so trivial an
action.*
The most striking object visible from inside the park is
* Pall Mall Gazette, July 26, 1886.
C US SOLD PARK 333
the tall and graceful spire of the new parish church of
Stoke Newington. The church itself is a fine cathedral-like
structure, built from the designs of Sir George Gilbert Scott,
and considered one of his masterpieces.
The church occupies the site of the old rectory-house,
which was chiefly built of wood, and had extensive grounds.
This was probably built by the Lord of the Manor when the
old church was restored in 1563.
The old church, whose churchyard seems to form part
of the park, is a very ancient fabric. Its present appear-
ance, peeping from the dense foliage of the trees around it,
is quite in accord with its past surroundings. It takes us
back in thought to the time when Stoke Newington was an
unpretending village with here and there a farm-house
dotted among the fields which surrounded it on every side.
The date of its erection is lost in the dim past. A small
square stone over the south door records the date (1563) of
its restoration. It is said before this time to have been a
small Gothic structure of stone faced with flint and pebbles.
This was then large enough to accommodate the few wor-
shippers of the village. Nothing would better illustrate the
growth of the village than a comparison between these two
churches, standing side by side. Various attempts were
made to keep pace with this growth, and from time to time
enlargements had to be made to the parish church. In
1716 it was nearly doubled in size by building on the north
side of the churchyard, and still later, in 1723, the chancel
was extended.
CHAPTER XVII. .
HACKNEY COMMONS.
CLAPTON COMMON — STOKE NEWINGTON COMMON —
HACKNEY DOWNS — MILL FIELDS.
THE parish of Hackney is particularly rich in open
spaces, and though they were recognised as an
undoubted boon at the time of acquisition, their
value as recreation-grounds is still further increased
at the present day, now that the area has become more con-
gested. They comprise Clapton (7^ acres) and Stoke New-
ington Commons (5^) in the north, Hackney Downs (41!),
North Mill Field (23i), and South Mill Field (34!) in the
centre, London Fields (26^) and Well Street Common (2of)
in the south, while the most recent acquisition, Hackney
Marsh (337 acres) runs along the greater portion of the
eastern boundary. These are quite irrespective of Victoria
Park, disused churchyards, squares, and various other small
plots of land dotted about in different parts of the parish,
which together make a considerable total.
It is difficult to make out the boundaries of these open
spaces in ancient maps of the district, for the simple reason
that they were then indistinguishable from the surrounding
fields of which they formed part. The marsh, which has
been protected by its very nature, seems to have undergone
least change. The commons themselves lean towards the
useful rather than the ornamental. By no stretch of imagina-
tion can they be called picturesque or rural ; they are simply
green islands of turf in the midst of seas of bricks and mortar.
HACKNEY COMMONS 335
If it were not for extensive fencing, there would hardly be a
blade of grass upon them, so great is the use to which they
are put.
Of the seven so-called Hackney Commons, only two were
open spaces of common really, viz., Clapton Common and
Stoke Newington Common. The remainder were lammas
lands.* The peculiarity of these latter was that from April 16
to August ii the exclusive right to the soil and herbage
belonged to different proprietors, and for the remaining eight
months the herbage belonged to the freehold and copyhold
tenants of the manor. The grazing of the lammas lands was
managed by a body of men elected annually at the courts of
the manor, called marsh drivers. The number of cattle to
be turned on to the lands was regulated by the amount
of rent paid. A small fee was charged for each head of
cattle turned out to graze, and the money so raised was
spent in improving the lands. Of late years, owing to
the extraordinary development of Hackney, the only lands
of any use for grazing purposes have been Hackney Marsh,
and to a limited extent the Mill Fields. The number of
freeholders of land in the lammas lands was very extensive,
and each owner's strip was marked off with posts. Each
freeholder had the exclusive ownership of his particular
strip, subject to the lammas rights. The peculiar way in
which the lammas lands were held once led to a rather
amusing incident — amusing, that is, to anyone except the
unfortunate freeholder. In the year 1837, tne lessee of a
certain portion of Hackney Downs ploughed it up for the
purpose of growing corn, and owing to the lateness of the
season the crop could not be carried off before the middle of
August, when the inhabitants entitled to common and lammas
rights entered the land and carried away a great portion of
the crop.f
* From an Anglo-Saxon word meaning bread mass, it being observed
as a festival of thanksgiving for the fruits of the earth on August i (old
calendar).
| Robinson, ' Hackney,' p. 76.
336 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
During this century the lammas lands have been subjected
to some kind of supervision which has prevented extensive
encroachments from being made. A committee was specially
appointed by the inhabitants in 1809 to report upon them,
and they came to the conclusion that there had been many
unlawful enclosures and other violations of the lammas lands.
Their meetings were held at the once famous Mermaid Tavern,
and their report published in 1810 gives some very interesting
details of the lammas lands at that time. It appears from
Lea Bridge, Mill Fields.
this that the rights of turning cattle on to lammas lands are
manorial privileges, and that they existed six or seven hundred
years before the grant of the Manor of Hackney to a lay
subject.
All the lands comprised in the Hackney Commons were
attached to the Manor of Lordshold, Hackney ; Clapton and
Stoke Newington Commons and the strips in Dalston Lane
and Grove Street (now Lauriston Road) being waste of the
manor, and the remainder, including the marsh, as we have
HACKNEY COMMONS 337
already stated, being lammas lands. The Manor of Lords-
hold is co-extensive with the parish of Hackney, and was in
the time of Edward VI. valued at £61 95. 4d. It is not
mentioned in the Doomsday survey, but was probably
included in the larger manor of Stepney, and as such formed
part of the demesne lands of the Bishops of London. In
the nineteenth year of King Edward I. (1290) Richard de
Gravesend, Bishop of London, and his successors, were
granted by the Crown free warren in Hackney and Stepney
provided that the lands were not included within the boundary
of the great forest of Middlesex. The Bishops of London
continued to enjoy these privileges till Bishop Ridley, in
1550, surrendered the manor to King Edward VI. in con-
sideration of certain other lordships, and in this same year it
was granted to Thomas, Lord Wentworth.* His son and
successor to the estate had great disputes with the copy-
hold tenants of the manor concerning some of the customs,
benefits and privileges of the tenants, which differences were
appeased by a deed of covenant entered into by them reci-
procally on June 20, 1618, and confirmed by a decree of the
Court of Chancery dated July 22, 1618. These covenants
and agreements were also the subject of an Act of Parlia-
ment in 1622-23, which dealt most minutely with all the
customs of the manor, t Among the subjects treated of, the
wastes of the manor are of course included, and by this Act
the copyholders are entitled to ' lop and shred all such trees
as grow before their houses . . . upon the waste ground,
and the same convert to their own use, without any offence,
so the said trees stand for defence of their houses, yards, or
gardens ; and also may dig gravel, sand, clay and loam, upon
the said waste grounds, to build or repair any of their copy-
hold tenements ... so always as every of the said copy-
holders do fill up so much as shall be digged by him or
them.' The Act also provides for the appointment of certain
customary tenants to be drivers and viewers of the wastes
* Robinson, ' Hackney,' p. 303.
f This is printed in extenso in Robinson's ' Hackney,' pp. 354-408.
22
338 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
and commons of the manor to be elected annually. The
fees they received for marking and the redemption of im-
pounded cattle, after paying travelling expenses, were ' to be
employed to the scouring of the common sewers which be
upon the said waste ground and commons, and laying of
bridges over the said common sewers.'
The Manor of Hackney was separated from the Manor of
Stepney by Lord Went worth in the early part of the seven-
teenth century, and remained in that family till the forfeiture
of the Earl of Cleveland's estates in 1652. In 1659, William
Smith and others, who probably purchased it of the Parlia-
mentary Commissioners, alienated it to William Hobson,
who died in 1662, leaving his three daughters co-heiresses.
Their husbands were joint Lords of the Manor till 1669, when
they sold it to John Foorth, an Alderman of London. Coming
now to 1676, we find the manor in the possession of Nicholas
Cary and Thomas Cooke, goldsmiths, of London, and later
on, in 1694, it belonged to Sir Thomas Cooke. Three years
later it was purchased by Francis Tyssen, and remained in
that family till 1794, when it passed by marriage to William
George Daniel, a Captain in the gist Regiment, who took
the name of Tyssen. The present Lord, Baron Amherst of
Hackney, is the grandson of this last owner.
The acquisition of the Hackney commons required no less
than three Acts of Parliament. After the passing of the
Metropolitan Commons Act, 1866, the local authority thereby
constituted was empowered to present a memorial to the
Enclosure Commissioners with a view to establishing a
scheme for the local management of any Metropolitan
common, so that the scheme might be confirmed by Act of
Parliament. This was the course adopted with regard to
the Hackney commons upon the initiative of the Hackney
Board of Works. The question of including the Marsh in
the scheme was discussed at the time, but it was decided to
leave it out. Eventually the Metropolitan Commons Supple-
mental Act, 1872, confirmed the scheme of the Commis-
sioners, and the late Metropolitan Board of Works took over
CLAPTON COMMON 339
the charge of the commons. The Lord of the Manor con-
tended that this scheme in no way interfered with his rights,
and that he had perfect liberty to carry on any excavation
for gravel and brick-earth on his lammas lands, and, what
was more serious, to enclose any part of the lands with the
consent of the homage. In order to test the matter, he
enclosed a portion of Hackney Downs, a plot on North Mill
Field, and also commenced extensive gravel excavation on the
Downs. These steps led to prolonged litigation, and in the
end the Lord of the Manor was declared in the right. A second
Act of Parliament was therefore required to enable his rights
to be purchased, which was effected by the Metropolitan
Board of Works (Hackney Commons) Act, 1881, the price
being fixed at £33,000. But there still remained the rights
of many freeholders to be acquired in addition to those of the
Lord of the Manor. These were purchased under the third
Act relating to Hackney Commons — viz., the Metropolitan
Board of Works (Various Powers) Act, 1884. Altogether
the total cost of obtaining the commons has been about
£90,000. Having now considered these open spaces generally,
we shall glance at each one separately.
CLAPTON COMMON.
Clapton, formerly Broad, Common is the most northernly
of the Hackney open spaces. Situated on the high ground
it has an advantage in many respects over the other commons
of the district. For one thing, the air is purer, and it is
even stated that in the early morning, before chimneys and
factories poison the air with their smoke, it is possible to
sniff the ozone of the pure sea-breeze. Of recent years,
before the houses surrounding the common were built, there
must have been an extended view over the surrounding low-
lying country, with the river Lea winding through the green
marshes like a silken thread in some elaborate tapestry work.
It has been said that ' the view over the Lea Valley from the
heights of the mellow, old-fashioned suburb of Clapton is
not inferior in its way to that of classic Richmond Hill itself.
22 — 2
340 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Beyond the quiet meadows are the lines of aspens and
poplars, backed by the rounded forms of the elms about
Walthamstow, with their masses of deep shadow, and on
the sky-line the ridge of Epping Forest, with a spire here
and there, sunlit, and standing out against the purples and
ambers of the woods.'*
These beauties, which were once visible from the common,
are shut out by the row of houses called Buccleuch Terrace,
built about a hundred years ago.
On the common is a small pond, much in demand for
skating in the winter, which must not be confounded with
the better-known Clapton pond some distance down the
main road. Behind the pond on the common is Stainforth
House, once the residence of Mr. Richard Foster, and more
recently of the late Suffragan Bishop of Bedford. Craven
House, at the north end of the common (so named after
a former owner — Mr. Arthur Craven), was at one time the
home of the late Mr. Samuel Morley, M.P. for Bristol, t
On the western side of the common is St. Thomas's Church,
not a very ornate structure. In October, 1864, a terrific
gunpowder explosion between Plumstead and Erith occurred,
which shook the houses in Upper Clapton to their very
foundations. St. Thomas's Church came off very badly, for
the east wall was split from top to bottom by the force of
the explosion.]:
STOKE NEWINGTON COMMON.
This small open space, situated at the west of the parish,
had once a claim to rural beauty. The cuckoo and the
nightingale were regular visitants in their season, and the
whole of the district of Stoke Newington, as we have already
seen, was country indeed. But this was long before it
became under municipal control. The Great Eastern Rail-
way now passes right through the centre of the common,
and any attempt, by planting or other means, to arrive at
* A writer in the Echo.
t ' Glimpses of Ancien Hackney,' p. 223. 1 Ibid.t p. 220.
STOKE NEWINGTON COMMON 341
the picturesque will always be marred by the proximity
of the iron road. We need not go back far to find very
different surroundings for the common. In the Ordnance
Survey map of 1868, the only boundary of the common which
is shown at all built over is the west. On the north were
large houses in the midst of extensive grounds — Baden Farm
and Thornbury Park. On the east was a similar estate —
Elm Lodge — and to the south wide-spreading brickfields.
Now these have given place to terraces of houses which
almost threaten to swamp the few acres of green which
remain. It is probable that originally the common, or some
part of it at any rate, reached to the highroad on the west.
We have a record of one grant of the common land for
building.
In 1740, Thomas Cooke, of Stoke Newington, built a large
house on the common, and divided it into eight sets of rooms
for the accommodation of as many poor families. The land
had been let to him by the Lord of the Manor for ninety-nine
years, from Midsummer, 1740, at a rent of as. 6d. The
inmates paid a yearly rent of 2s. per family as an acknowledg-
ment of their tenancy. By his will, the founder of the
charity left his houses and land at Eltham in trust, to keep
in repair his house, built on the common in the parish of Hackney,
whilst any surplus was to be divided amongst the inmates of
the almshouse. In 1842 the occupants lived rent free, and
each family received 4 guineas a year, and two sacks of
coals at Christmas.* These almshouses have lately been
rebuilt, and will be noticed on the north side of the road,
passing out opposite Abney Park Cemetery.
The Great Eastern Railway were empowered by their
Metropolitan Station and Railways Act, 1864, to carry their
line across Stoke Newington Common in a gallery or covered
way, or, if not so covered in, the company were to acquire,
and give in exchange to the proprietors of the common, to
be held as part and parcel thereof, so much land adjoining
thereto as should be equal in quantity to the land taken from
* Robinson, ' Hackney,' p. 394.
342 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
the common for the purposes of the railway. The line was
not covered in, and the company acquired and threw into
the common a plot of land at the south-west corner equal in
area to that taken by them. This arrangement was com-
pleted in 1873 by a formal deed of conveyance to the Lord of
the Manor. Another exchange took place at the southern
end, in addition to that with the railway company, so that
the present appearance of the common is very different to
what it formerly was.
HACKNEY DOWNS.
Hackney Downs is a rectangular open space, skirted on
che west by the Great Eastern Railway, which fortunately
does not intersect it. Its elevation is higher than any
other point within the same radius of the Metropolis. This
is one of the lammas lands of Hackney, and we have
already mentioned the chief historical fact connected with
it, viz., the removal of the freeholders' crops in 1837. But
the mention of harvest operations in Hackney seems so
very droll that further particulars of this event, taken from
a contemporary record, may not be out of place. The
account is as follows :
' A strange scene was witnessed here on the evening of
Monday, August 14. Owing to the lateness of the season,
a notice, signed by the steward of the manor, had been
issued a few days previously, stating that the Downs would
not be open to the public until Saturday, the 25th, or a
fortnight beyond the time when cattle have hitherto been
admitted. The crops on the Downs were this year unusually
fine, the greater portion of which remained uncut on Monday
morning, when a few persons made their appearance, and
began to help themselves to the corn, alleging that, as no
person could now legally claim it, they had as good a right
to it as anyone else. Mr. Adamson, to whom the greater
part of the crops belonged, very naturally disputed their
right, and gave them into custody. On being examined at
Worship Street, the magistrates had no sooner heard the
HACKNEY DOWNS 343
facts of the case than they dismissed the men on the ground
that, in their opinion, the corn was common property, and
could be claimed by no one parishioner more than another.
The men soon made known the magistrates' decision, which
seemed to justify anyone in helping himself to all he could
get. That was the notion which generally prevailed, and
which a good many were not at all backward to act upon.
From eight o'clock till near midnight, troops of men, women,
and children were to be seen coming from the Downs loaded
with more wheat than they could carry, strewing the ground
with it as they came along, and hurraing and cheering each
other at this practical assertion of their rights. Some, who
should have known better, even brought horses and carts to
aid in the work of plunder. The scene was a most humiliating
and disgraceful one. On a small scale was exhibited, we
fear, too true a specimen of the temper of an English mob
when free, or supposed to be free, from the bridle of the law.
The property of one neighbour was at the mercy of hundreds,
and his fellow-neighbours seemed to glory in showing how
merciless they could be. A number of policemen were on
the ground, but, after the decision of the magistrate, they
could not effectually interfere ; all they could do was to
prevent any breach of the peace between Mr. Adamson's
labourers, who were busily engaged in removing their
master's property, and those who were as busily engaged in
helping themselves.
' In the early part of the day, Mr. Adamson does not
appear to have done all that he might to save his crop ;
afterwards, when he was threatened with the loss of all of it,
more energy was manifested. At ten in the evening several
waggons were in motion, and, we presume, continued so
during the night, for on the following morning the whole
had disappeared. The total loss of the freeholder was
estimated at £100.'*
He made one further attempt to imprison the marauders,
for he proceeded against several of them in the Court of
* Hackney Magazine , October, 1837, p. 175.
344
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Queen's Bench for a riot. On the trial, the Court perceived
the error of both parties, and, as a sort of cornpromise,
induced the accused individuals to plead guilty that it might
obtain the power of discharging them, and so end the
dilemma. Another labourer who was arrested was not so
fortunate. It was proved that he was neither a parishioner
View of the Hackney Brook at Hackney Downs about 1838. (From a water-
colour drawing in the Tyssen Library, Hackney.)
nor a copyholder, and he was fined 205., and 2s. 6d. for the
value of the five sheaves of wheat he had taken. The
account of these proceedings gives us a good glimpse into
the Hackney of the past, which consisted of a few large and
select houses surrounded by cornfields, which have now been
forced back further into the country.
HACKNEY DOWNS 345
About this time we should have seen another landmark of
old Hackney which has now disappeared, viz., the Hackney
Brook. This passed along the western boundary of the
Downs. It was once a stream of some importance, and,
prior to the excavation of the New River in the seventeenth
century, appears to have been connected with no other
rivulet of any size. It could once be truthfully described as
a 'still and rippling spring,' which 'steals its clear waters '
home to the river Lea,* but in its later years became ' a
ditch of running, liquid filth, exceedingly noxious and highly
prejudicial to the health of the districts through which it
flowed.' The stream had its source in what are now the
lakes of Clissold Park ; thence, running easterly, it crossed
Lordship Road, and continued flowing in that direction till
Stamford Bridge was reached. Before the bridge was built,
the brook was crossed by means of stepping-stones, which
gave the place the name of Stone Ford, corrupted into
Stamford. f From here it altered its course from east to
south, and ran for some distance parallel to the road leading
to Shacklewell. It then flowed past the Downs, and so
made its way to the river Lea.
On the western part of the Downs was formerly an ancient
spring which had never been known to freeze in the hardest
winters. This has had to be filled in, but ample provision
for thirsty travellers has been made by the erection of two
memorial fountains — one to Mr. G. Gowlland, and another
to Mr. Michael Young, both local celebrities.
The playground of the handsome school of the Grocers'
Company at the south was formerly part of the Downs, and
the enclosure of this portion of the lammas land led to
considerable rioting in Hackney. The fence when erected
was pulled down, and the playground perambulated by the
inhabitants, who resented this encroachment on their rights.
But once again the Lord of the Manor gained the day, so
* Author of ' La Bagatelle.'
f John Thomas, MS. * History of Hackney.
346 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
that the passing of the commons under municipal control is
a decided benefit to Hackney.
In making Downs Park Road some years ago, which forms
the northern boundary of the Downs, some Roman pottery
was discovered, which is interesting in connection with the
other relics of these early times brought to light in excava-
tions in the neighbourhood.*
MILL FIELDS.
The Mill Fields take their name from some once famous
corn-mills at Lea Bridge, now the property of the East
London Waterworks Company. From a notice of sale in
1791, when an undivided moiety of the Hackney Waterworks
and Corn-mills was in the market, we gather that the corn-
mills were capable of grinding nearly 300 quarters per week. t
Some five years later, in 1796, on January 14, there was an
immense fire here, which, after burning with amazing rapidity
for two hours, entirely consumed the mills, with a quantity
of wheat and flour. About 3,000 quarters of this, the property
of the Government, were also involved in the common
destruction, which is supposed to have been caused by a
flour-weigher leaving a lighted candle between two sacks of
meal, one of which must have caught fire.
The two commons, north and south, are divided by the Lea
Bridge Road, which was formed under an Act (30 George II.)
for making a new road from Clapton down to the river Lea.
The land for this was taken from the South Mill Field, for
which no compensation was paid. It is probable that many
enclosures have taken place on these lammas lands. In
Rocque's map, 1745, they are shown as one continuous field,
and though this cannot be taken as conclusive evidence, it
was stated in the report of the committee of inhabitants
(1810) that there were then rumours afloat that a considerable
portion of these fields had been enclosed, but they had no
evidence to prove the accuracy of the statements.
* There is a drawing of this pottery in the Tyssen Library at Hackney,
t From a book of newspaper extracts in the Tyssen Library, Hackney.
MILL FIELDS
347
The original Lea Bridge was built of wood, with three
arches or waterways, the centre of which was 68 feet between
the abutments. After standing for seventy-five years, it was
deemed insecure, and was rebuilt in 1820, the new iron bridge
being 140 feet long. At the corner of North Mill Field,
facing the river Lea, is the Jolly Anglers public-house, which
appears from its internal vestiges to be upwards of 300 years
Lea Bridge Mills and River Lea about 1830. (From a water-colour drawing
in the Tyssen Library, Hackney.)
old. It seems originally to have been built of brick, and
must have been very small. The primitive building consisted
of the bar, kitchen, cellar, and small bed-chamber over the
bar, while the other parts have been subsequently added by
different tenants.*
In the brick-field adjoining North Mill Field, which also
has a valuable substratum of brick-earth, have been discovered
* John Thomas, MS. ' History of Hackney,' chap, iii., section 4,
p. 42.
348
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
some remarkable fossils. Some bones were found here, which
were pronounced by the late Professor Sir Richard Owen to
be those of the woolly-haired rhinoceros. These remains of
an antediluvian inhabitant of our island had probably been
washed to this spot by some inundation. Elephants' bones
The River Lea and the Jolly Anglers, Hackney Marsh, in 1850. (From a
water-colour drawing in the Tyssen Library, Hackney.)
have also been unearthed from the soil, which must have
been trampled upon some thousands of years ago by these
huge monsters. t
North Mill Field is the probable site of a fierce battle
which took place in 527 between Octa, the grandson of
* 'Glimpses of Ancient Hackney/ by F.R.C.S., p. 214.
MILL FIELDS 349
Hengist, King of Kent, and Erchenwin, the founder of the
kingdom of Essex. This latter chief had revolted from
the King of Kent, who made a powerful though unsuccessful
attempt to win his subjects back to his allegiance. He con-
vened an assembly of the wise men of his kingdom, and
placed before them the alternatives of peace and war with
the usurper of his power. The vote was unanimous, and
upon the advice of one of the sages it was decided that ' the
measures for war be immediate in their adoption and prompt
in their application, so that the rebels, having no forewarn-
ment of invasion, might be surprised, and the success of the
expedition thereby rendered sure.'
The meeting - place was appointed at Hrofeceastre
(Rochester), and galleys were ordered to be in readiness
by the banks of the Medway ; and at sunrise one morning
in 527 the Kentish King boarded his galley-ships with
15,000 followers. The ships went straight to the Bay of
Hal viz (Woolwich), and there a deliberation was held.
The King had two proposals for consideration, both having
the same object, viz., the surprise of Londinbyrig (London).
This he proposed to carry out in one of two ways : either to
land his warriors on the west bank of the Ligan (Lea) near
the ford (at Temple Mills), and march upon the city in two
columns ; or to disembark at the upper ford (formerly near
Lea Bridge), and marching south to fall upon the city in that
direction. He inclined to the latter proposal because he
thought the people of London would be less prepared for an
attack from the south, and this was the decision eventually
arrived at.
So the galleys proceeded upon their way and anchored in
the waters of Lochtuna (the lake formed by the Lea over-
looked by Leyton). In the meantime the people of London
were not idle. The deputy King had obtained information of
the proposed expedition, and supposing, as the enemy had
sailed to the Lea, that the attack would be from the north-
east, he decided to march out to meet the foe. The route
taken would be along Bishopsgate Street, Ermin Street (now
350 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Kingsland Road North), and then turning north-east they
would make their way to Clapton and thence to North Mill
Field. Erchenwin, to prevent the advance of the enemy by
any other route than the one he was taking, ordered an
advance detachment to post itself upon an ascent from the
marsh, so as to command a good view of the surrounding
district. It had not long been stationed there before the
chief in command observed the approach of a division of the
enemy, and a battle at once ensued in which the Londoners
were completely victorious.
Erchenwin and the main body then arrived in sight of the
Ligan (Lea), and a desperate fight ensued between the full
strength of both armies. Octa was conspicuous for his
bravery, but when, sorely wounded, he was compelled to
retreat, the rest of his followers fled and were slaughtered
by the conquering Londoners. On the following day the
victorious East Saxons returned to their capital, having
thrown off the yoke of the King of Kent ; and so ended the
Battle of Hackney.*
* Abridged from the 'History of Hackney' (manuscript), by John
Thomas, 1832.
CHAPTER XVIII.
LONDON FIELDS— WELL STREET COMMON— HACKNEY
MARSH.
LONDON FIELDS.
THESE Fields are the nearest open space on this side
of London to the city, and as such have been
subjected to very rough treatment in their time.
The vicissitudes through which they have passed
have been more remarkable than those of any other of the
Hackney commons. At the time when Hackney boasted of
the patronage of many wealthy citizens these Fields seem
to have been chiefly devoted to sheep-grazing. In Rocque's
map (1745) the wide thoroughfare at the south-west of the
fields is shown as ' Mutton Lane.' At the present day two
thoroughfares leading off the fields — Sheep Lane and Lamb
Lane — preserve the memory of the former frequenters. The
sheep seem to have departed to ' fresh fields and pastures
new,' but it is not so many years since the marsh drivers
were able to let the land during the close-time of lammas
lands to a cow-keeper to put on a certain number of cows.
With the increase of population, however, the use of the
Fields became very much extended, and in course of time
the surface was worn so bare that the four months of
close-time were not sufficient to enable the grass to grow
again and establish itself. As a consequence the Fields
' became in dry weather a hard, unsightly, dusty plain, with
a few isolated tufts of turf, and in wet weather a dismal
impassable swamp.' In the evidence given before the Select
352 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Committee of the House of Commons on the Metropolitan
Commons Act (1866) Amendment Bill, it was stated that it
was ' the run of the riff-raff and vagabonds at the east of
London during the whole season, night and day.' The
most dissolute practices were carried on, cockshies were put
up, and the scenes were very similar to those at a common
fair. On Sundays the Fields furnished a platform for
itinerant lecturers, who only came here to provoke dis-
cussion. Altogether London Fields were not a credit to
Hackney, and the Hackney Vestry prepared a scheme for
dealing with them ; but after Parliamentary notices had
been lodged, the idea had to be abandoned owing to the
opposition of the inhabitants. If this scheme had been
carried out, the acquisition for public use would have been
effected without expense to the ratepayers, either by selling
the brick earth, which forms a valuable substratum, or by
selling a belt round the Fields for building purposes so as to
pay for the remainder. But the disgraceful scenes on this
open space are now things of the past, and as we have
mentioned before, by systematic fencing, it is now possible
to see a vestige of green turf in place of the bare surface
once presented.
It is an open question whether any encroachments have
taken place on this common. The Court Rolls record an
attempted pilfering in 1809, which was discovered in time
and the offender punished. The entry runs as follows :
' And the homage aforesaid further present an encroach-
ment made by William Parker Hamond in suffering a part
of London Field called "the nursery" to be enclosed, and
thereby depriving the tenants of this manor and the
parishioners of Hackney from the benefit they usually had,
and of right were and are entitled to have, of the herbage
thereof in common with the rest of London Fields ; and
of digging up or causing to be dug up the brick earth
therein and of permitting and suffering horses, carts, and
other carriages going over London Fields to that part
thereof called " the nursery " aforesaid to fetch, take, and
LONDON FIELDS
353
carry away the said brick earth therefrom, and thereby
destroying the herbage of London Fields aforesaid, contrary
to all justice and reason, and we amerse the said W. Parker
Hamond for so doing in the sum of £1,000.' The nursery
was on the west of the Fields and extended almost to
Queen's Road. Latterly it was known as Grange's Nursery.
It seems very probable that the roads between the north of
The Old Cat and Mutton, London Fields, about 1830. (From a sepia sketch
in the Tyssen Library, Hackney.)
Lansdowne Road and the common are built upon a former
portion of London Fields.
The modern public-house at the south corner of London
Fields is on the site of an ancient tavern, dating back at
least to 1731, for a newspaper cutting dated June 14 of that
year describes how ' yesterday morning a fire broke out near
the Shoulder of Mutton alehouse in London Fields near
Hackney.' Its present name, the Cat and Mutton, may
23
354 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
possibly be a corruption of its older title, the Shoulder of
Mutton, which appears to be its original designation. In 1798
we find the 'Cat' added as a prefix to the sign, in which
year ' the public-house called the Cat and Shoulder of Mutton '
is announced for sale. As such it gave its name to the lower
part of London Fields, or vice versa, for this portion bears
some resemblance to a shoulder of mutton. The following
extracts* from the press of the day will introduce us to London
or Shoulder of Mutton Fields in a new light, viz., as a resort
of highwaymen :
1 16 Dec., 1732. — A few days since a tradesman in the
Ward of Farringdon Without was attacked near the Shoulder
of Mutton by two fellows, who robbed him of his money and
pocket-book.'
About the same time : ' The watch is ordered to begin
their patrol at five o'clock in the morning on account of
Mr. Baxter being robbed on Wednesday, at that hour, by
two fellows, who started out on him from behind the Watch
house in the Shoulder of Mutton Fields.'
'April, 1751. — William Flora sent by the master of the
Rochester Hoy to receive £36 at the Two Blue Posts at
Hackney, on his return wras robbed by two footpads in
the Shoulder of Mutton Fields who made off with the
booty.'
But London Fields has afforded considerable sport to others
than footpads and highwaymen during its lengthy career.
' On Friday, Sept. 24th, 1802, a cricket-match was played
on London Fields for the substantial stake of 500 guineas
between eleven gentlemen of the London Fields club, and
eleven gentlemen of Clapton. Although the betting was
5 to 4 on the former at starting, they were defeated by an
innings and 49 runs.'
Here is another interesting account of a contest of a
different character. It is headed, ' Extraordinary Pedes-
trianism ': ' A match which has long been depending, was
decided on Thursday afternoon (July, 1813) in London Fields
* From a book of newspaper cuttings in the Tyssen Library, Hackney.
LONDON FIELDS 355
between a man of the name of Thos. Dudley, aged 74, who
has acquired great celebrity in the sporting world by running
on stilts, and a sailor who is equally noted, for a short heat.
About 3 o'clock they started, for a considerable sum, the
wager having been previously made that the sailor was to
give the veteran 50 yards at starting, and that the distance
which they should run should be 100 yards. The old man
came in, leaving his antagonist at the distance of 30 yards,
to the no small amusement of a great concourse assembled
on the occasion. The old man performed the distance in
10 seconds.'
London Fields has also provided a drilling-ground for
soldiers. In June, 1798, there was a brilliant gathering here
' when the ist and 2nd regiments of the Tower Hamlets
Militia were reviewed, the former in London Fields, and the
2nd at Bethnal Green, by the Duke of York, the Duke of
Gloucester, Marquis Cornwallis, and the Earl of Harrington.
They went through their manoeuvres with great credit.'
Later on, in September, 1804, the loyal Hackney Volun-
teers paraded here with every requisite for marching at a
moment's warning.
At the corner of Tower Street, which leads away to the
north-east from London Fields, formerly stood a white house
with a tower-shaped wing overlooking the Fields. Its site
occupied that of the schools at the back of St. Michael's
Vicarage. A most eccentric man once lived here, who led a
very retired and secluded life, and had a particular antipathy
to doctors. A child of his died, and as no medical man was
in attendance, a coroner's inquest was demanded. For
several days he resisted all intrusion, barricaded -his house,
and was seen at night-time walking up and down the flat
roof with a loaded gun. This was before the police were
established. It was some time before an entry was effected,
and the man secured, when the inquest was held in due
course on the decomposed body of the child.*
* 'Glimpses of Ancient Hackney,' p. 15.
23—2
356 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
It was from Tower House, at the corner of London Lane,
which gave its name to Tower Street, that Milton, in 1656,
took his second wife, Catherine Woodcock, the daughter
of Captain Woodcock. She died in child-bed about ten
months after their marriage, and Milton wrote his twenty-
third sonnet, so much criticised by Johnson, to her memory.
Milton had gone quite blind three years before he married
his second wife, so that he could not fully appreciate the full
beauties of the Hackney of his age. But Milton was not the
only celebrity that came a-courting to Tower Street, for it
is said that Daniel Defoe, who was a resident at Stoke
Newington, walked across the intervening fields, down the
country lanes, to see his future wife here. Many of his
children were baptized and buried in Hackney Church.*
To the north of London Fields, where Navarino Road
now runs, were formerly Pigwell Fields, called variously
Pig's-well (Robinson), Pyke-well, or Pit-well. In these
fields were certain land-springs (of which there are many in
this district) which were collected into a well-head or conduit.
This water was then carried by conduit pipes to another
conduit at Aldgate, and formed the only water-supply for
,some hundreds of years for this side of London. f
WELL STREET (OR HACKNEY) COMMON.
This common is situated at the south-east corner of
Hackney, and adjoins Victoria Park. Well Street, from
which it takes its name, does not actually form one of its
boundaries, although it is probable that at one time it did,
and that the intervening land has disappeared, as common
lands have an unfortunate habit of doing. Well Street
naturally suggests a well, and the difficulty of locating it has
puzzled more than one topographer. This well was situated
by Cottage Place, and is believed to have been co-eval with
the palace of the Priors of St. John of Jerusalem. Possibly
it may have been partially a mineral spring, or, at any rate,
* 'Glimpses of Ancient Hackney,' p. 15. t Ibid., p. 240.
WELL STREET (OR HACKNEY) COMMON 357
from its contiguity to a monastic establishment, have had a
special holy reputation, and hence the road to it would
naturally be named after it.*
The estate which partially surrounds Well Street Common,
known as the Cassland estate, belongs to a very important
charity, which has done a great deal towards the improve-
ment of the neighbourhood. The trustees have swept away
a wretched village of houses — or, more properly, hovels —
which had received the name of Botany Bay. It is said that
this peculiar appellation was given to it because so many of
its inhabitants were sent to the real place, not because of their
good deeds, it is feared. The charity was founded by Sir
John Cass, a worthy Alderman of London, who died in 1718.
His father, Thomas Cass, was carpenter to the Royal
Ordnance, and the large fortune which he had acquired
descended to Sir John, who built two schools near the
Church of St. Botolph, Aldgate, in addition to other build-
ings near them. He devised the whole of his estate, after
the death of his wife, for the purpose of providing a free
dinner daily for the charity children attending these schools.
He died with the pen in his hand, without having fully com-
pleted the statement. This led to very lengthy litigation,
which was not settled for thirty years after his death, f From
investigations which have recently been made, it appears
that a carpenter — Mr. Cass — lived where Lauriston Road
now runs. He had an only son, who lived and died in the
same house. In the minutes of the Select Vestry, the father,
Thomas Cass, is first mentioned as being present on April 6,
1686. Subsequently, in 1699, his son appears as a vestry-
man. No doubt the land at Hackney was very cheap at
this time, so that father and son, being thrifty people, they
were able to acquire an extensive property.^:
At the southern corner of the common stands the French
Hospice, a large building of dark-red brick with stone dress-
* 'Glimpses of Ancient Hackney,' p. 179.
f John Thomas, MS. ' History of Hackney.'
J * Glimpses of Ancient Hackney.' p. 168.
358
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
ings, standing in extensive and well-timbered grounds, build-
ing and gardens alike being an ornament to the neighbour-
hood. The hospital stands upon the site of the garden of a
former Rector of South Hackney* — the H. H. N orris, whose
memory is still treasured. But even Rectors are not above
suspicion, for the committee entrusted with the inspection of
French Hospice, Victoria Park.
the lammas lands reported in 1810, ' There is a rumour in
circulation that some of the land withinside of the Rev. Mr.
Norris' fence is part of Well Street common ' ; but no
evidence of the fact had been before them. Perhaps the
hospital, then, stands on what was formerly part of the
common. Its history is a very interesting one. Its institu-
tion is an outcome of the persecution of the French
* ' Glimpses of Ancient Hackney,' by F.R.C.S., p. 171.
WELL STREET (OR HACKNEY) COMMON 359
Protestants, many of whom fled to England after the Edict
of Nantes was revoked. By dint of carrying on their native
industries in England, many of these refugees managed to
amass considerable fortunes, and were able to lend a helping
hand to their less successful compatriots. One of the results
of this charity was the French Hospital, originally founded in
Old Street, St. Luke's, by Monsieur de Gastigny, who was
Master of the Buckhounds to the Prince of Orange, whilst in
Holland, and accompanied him to England on his corona-
tion as William III. He bequeathed in 1708 £1,000 towards
founding a hospital for distressed French Protestants, and
by means of other benefactions the trustees were enabled in
1716 to purchase some land in the parish of St. Luke, upon
which a building was erected capable of accommodating eighty
persons. A royal charter of incorporation was granted by
George I., under the title of ' The Hospital for Poor French
Protestants and their Descendants residing in Great Britain/
Its early days were times of prosperity, for owing to increased
support the buildings were enlarged, and in 1760 had 234
inmates. But as time went on, the directors, owing to the
death of many benefactors, were forced to go somewhere
where land was cheaper, and the present site was determined
upon. The new building was designed by a descendant of a
Huguenot family — Mr. Roumien — and provides for forty men
and twenty women. No one is admitted under sixty, and
the gates are closed against married couples. The ranks of
the inmates are chiefly recruited from the weavers of Bethnal
Green and Spitalfields.*
At the western corner of the common are the buildings of
another ancient charity — viz., Monger's Almshouses. These
were founded under the will of Henry Monger (dated April 17,
1669), a former inhabitant of Hackney, who gave ' a piece of
land in Well Street, for six almshouses to be built upon it
with brick, and £400 towards the said buildings.' The
buildings were intended for six poor men of the parish of
Hackney, who could have their wives with them if married,
* Windsor Magazine, October, 1895.
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
but if the man died, the widow had to leave, and so lost her
husband and home at one stroke. Attached to the alms-
houses is an annuity of £12, arising out of land in Hackney
Marsh, £g of which is given in quarterly instalments to the
Monger's Almshouses, erected under the will of Henry Monger, dated 1669.
(From a sepia sketch in the Tyssen Library, Hackney.)
inmates, and the remainder goes for repairs. The election
of the almsmen is in the hands of the trustees of Sir John
Cass's charity, on the recommendation of the Rector and
churchwardens of South Hackney.*
* Robinson, ' Hackney,' vol. ii., p. 374.
HACKNEY MARSH 361
The small strips in Dalston Lane and Lauriston Road
(late Grove Street) present no special features. They were
enclosed and laid out at a cost of £400, and handed over to
the Hackney Board of Works in 1884, who have maintained
them since that date.
HACKNEY MARSH.
We now come to the last and the largest of the open
spaces of Hackney — viz., Hackney Marsh. The title is
not euphemious, but it has the merit of antiquity, and so
certainly ought to be preserved. It is a large area of flat
meadow-land lying on the eastern boundary of Hackney,
and intersected and skirted by the river Lea and its tributaries.
It is 337 acres in extent, and is at a distance of 3^ miles
from the Royal Exchange. The land, like the majority
of the Hackney commons, was formerly subject to lammas
rights, and so long as these lammas rights were maintained
the land could not have been built upon ; but at any time an
arrangement could have been made between the Lord of the
Manor and the severalty owners, and the owners of the
lammas rights, to convert the marsh into freehold building
land. Forming as the marsh did a splendid air space
between the portions of Hackney which were built upon and
the rapidly increasing outlying districts between Stratford
and Leyton, it became evident that the marsh must be
secured for the health and recreation of the people of London,
and the Hackney District Board, by resolution in May, 1889,
asked the London County Council to purchase or rent the
marsh. Meanwhile, in November, 1889, a somewhat trifling
incident led to more decisive steps being taken. The Rev.
E. K. Douglas, of the Eton Mission, Hackney Wick, brought
to the notice of the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association
the fact that the lads of a football club connected with the
mission had been ordered off the marshes by the Drivers,
who had proceeded to carry off their goal-posts. Mr. Douglas
was invited to attend the meeting of the association, held on
December 4, 1889, when he asked that steps might be taken
362 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
to get permission for his boys to play football on the marshes.
The association, however, decided that the right course
would be to take up a larger field of enterprise altogether,
and to make application to the Board of Agriculture to grant
a regulation scheme under the Metropolitan Commons Act,
1866, by making use of the powers conferred in the little-
known and little-used Metropolitan Commons Amendment
Act, 1869 (32 and 33 Viet.', c. 107), whereby twelve or more
ratepayers of the parish in which a Metropolitan common
lies can present a memorial to the Board of Agriculture asking
for a scheme.
On March 5, 1890, the Association decided to incur ex-
penditure on the prosecution of a scheme for the regulation
of the marsh, which would place it under the control of the
London County Council, but which would not necessarily
entail the purchase by the Council of any existing beneficial
interests unless they were proved to be detrimentally affected
by the putting in force of the powers which the regulation
scheme conferred.
In September, 1890, the Board of Agriculture issued a
draft scheme on the lines mentioned for the regulation of the
marsh, and on October 31, 1890, signified to the Associa-
tion its intention to hold an inquiry, which was opened at
the Hackney Town Hall on December i, 1890, by Mr. George
Pemberton Leach, Assistant-Commissioner to the Board of
Agriculture.
The acquisition in connection with this scheme, however,
was adjourned by the Commissioner in order to afford the
London County Council an opportunity of buying the marsh.
This opportunity the Council took, offering £50,000 for the
property, £10,000 of which was to be found by the Hackney
District Board. This offer was refused, and the matter
dropped for the time ; but negotiations were speedily renewed,
with the result that the Lord, the commoners, and other
owners of rights, combined for the purpose of selling the
marsh, and agreed to take £75,000, which, finally, was the
amount paid. Of this the London County Council con-
HACKNEY MARSH 363
tributed £50,000, the Hackney District Board £15,000, the
Lord of the Manor £5,000, and private subscriptions £5,000.
The land was finally transferred, free of all its previous
existing rights, to the Council under the London Open
Spaces Act, 1893, and a formal ceremony to dedicate it for
ever to the use and enjoyment of the public took place on
Saturday, July 21, 1894. As already stated, the area of the
marsh is very considerable, and, owing to its flatness, it has
proved a most valuable acquisition to the playgrounds of
London, being equally suited for cricket in the summer and
football in the winter.
The only drawback to the full enjoyment of the marsh
was the periodical flooding to which it was subject. To
remedy this, four new cuts were formed to take off the severe
bends of the Lea, and so enable the more rapid discharge of
flood-water. The old channels were retained, thus forming
islands, which by suitable planting have been made pleasing
features of the river. In connection with one of these cuts
a bathing-pool has been formed, which cannot, however, be
used till the Lea is purified. Further, a low flood-bank and
gravelled promenade parallel to the Lea were made, and also
a small bank alongside the waterworks drain between the
Temple Mills and Homerton roads to prevent flood-water
from backing up from the south.
During the carrying out of these works, the marsh was
visited by a severe flood, which it is to be hoped will be the
last. Besides retarding the progress of the laying-out, the
rising waters did considerable damage, and the floating plant
had to be rescued by means of boats. We may fairly prophesy,
however, that the floods of Hackney Marsh are now things
of the past.
The buildings around the marsh and the river Lea have
some very interesting historical associations. One of the
branches of the latter, known as the Mill River, or the Lead
Mill River, supplied the water-power to the Temple Mills,
so called because they were originally erected and owned by
the Knights Templars. After the dissolution of that Order,
364 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
they became the property of the Knights of St. John of
Jerusalem. There were three water-wheels, and by the
various adaptation of the machinery thus set in motion, corn
was ground, and trunks of trees were bored to form water-
main pipes, some of which are still found in digging along
the main thoroughfares. Points were also ground to pins
and needles, as many as 120,000 needles being pointed in a
day. The rough needles were then sent down to Worcester-
shire, where the eyes were made and the steel tempered,*
and they were returned here to receive the finishing polish.
The mills also received royal patronage, for Prince Rupert,
grandson of James I., after his retirement from military
duties, spent the greater portion of his time here in chemical
experiments. As one of the fruits of these labours, he
invented a composition for making guns, called Prince's
metal, and the guns were bored at these mills after they had
been cast. When, however, he died in 1682, the secret of
its manufacture died with him.t
The Temple or Rochott Mills were purchased by the East
London Waterworks Company in 1834.
This company also possesses extensive works at the north
of the marsh, which are partly erected on what was formerly
common ground. Under the provisions of their Act of
10 George IV., the company were empowered to take 12 acres
from the marsh for extending their works, but by a general
clause they were entitled to take as much more as they
wanted. When the Bill was before Parliament, it naturally
excited some alarm among the tenants of the manor, as will
be gathered by the following extract from the Court Rolls :J
' The homage . . . further present that a Bill is now
before Parliament to empower the East London Water
Company to take for the purpose of making reservoirs, etc.,
part of the common lands belonging to this manor called
* John Thomas (MS. 'History of Hackney') says these works were
carried out at Lea Bridge Mills, but this is not the general view,
t Robinson, * Hackney,' p. 67.
J Book xxii., date April 28, 1829.
HACKNEY MARSH 565
Hackney Marshes, that the said company state that they
shall only require about 12 acres of the said common, but
. . . according to the plans and book of reference . . . the
several lands amount to upwards of 77 acres, all of which
the homage conceive the said company would be empowered
to take should they think fit.'
Another clause in the Bill to the effect that the money to
be paid by way of compensation should be applied in aid of
the poors rate of the parish of Hackney also raised a storm.
From the records of the Water Company, it appears that
the total amount of land thus taken from the marsh was a
little over 20 acres, for which a sum of £750 was awarded
as compensation. This amount was paid into the Bank of
England to be laid out in the purchase of lands to be added
to the lammas lands.*
The White Hart, near the Temple Mills, is a very ancient
hostelry. It is said to have been built in 1513 (temp.
Henry VIII. ).f A 'toll-bar,' one of the few survivals of
that kind in London, still levies a tax of twopence on every
horse that passes. In the gardens of the White Hart has
stood for many years a large pollard poplar, the spreading
branches of which used to support a capacious platform,
approached by a flight of steps, which was capable of seating
some twelve to sixteen persons. This has now been broken
down.
But the most interesting fact in connection with this part
of the marshes is that which occurred in the ninth century,
when the Danish Vikings sailed up the Thames and ascended
the Lea, penetrating as far as Ware, where a fortified camp
was built, and the adjacent villages were sacked. It must be
borne in mind that the ships of the Danes were small and
nearly flat-bottomed, without much keel, so that the narrow
and shallow Lea was quite sufficient for their navigation.
The citizens of London, who had turned out to dislodge the
foe, were repulsed with heavy loss after a fierce battle, where-
* Robinson, * Hackney,' p. 66.
f 'Glimpses of Ancient Hackney,' by F.R.C.S., p. 166.
366 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
upon King Alfred ordered channels to be cut by which the
current of the Lea was diverted and the depth reduced,
according to Stowe's Annals, ' soe that where shippes before
had say led, now a smal boate could scantily rowe.' The
result was that the Danish ships were left so much
aground that their return to the Lea mouth and so into the
Thames was rendered impracticable. In the vicinity of the
.White Hart traces of the channels cut are still in existence,
and an ancient boat, supposed to be one of the Danish
canoes, excavated on the marsh, is preserved in the British
Museum. This stratagem on the part of King Alfred not
only accomplished his purpose, but was the means of con-
ferring lasting benefit upon the marshes. What was formerly
moist and spongy ground was converted into dry fields of
fertile meadow.* This is not the only relic of ancient times,
as in 1757 a part of a Roman stone causeway was found on
the marsh, together with some Roman coins, which go to
prove that there was a Roman highway across the marshes,
probably the great thoroughfare from London to Essex.
These discoveries were made in the course of widening and
deepening the channel of the mill tail of the Temple Mills.
,In addition to the causeway and coins there was also found
a stone coffin, which lay from east to west, some 4 or 5 feet
below the bed of the channel. Being firmly sunk in the bed,
it was left there, as the best foundation for the new super-
structure about to be erected. f In an account of this
discovery + it was stated that there were found ' an urn full of
Roman coins, some in high preservation, from Julius Caesar
to Constantine the Great, with several medals, a stone coffin
with a skeleton therein, measuring 9 feet 7 inches long, the
inscription on it unintelligible.' It was added, that in re-
moving the old foundation a vault was discovered, in which
were several urns but quite imperfect ; and what is very
remarkable, the vaults for centuries past are supposed to
* Robinson, ' Hackney,' p. 27.
t John Thomas, ' History of Hackney,' chap, ii., sec. 2, p. 24.
J Gentlemaris Magazine, November, 1783.
HACKNEY MARSH 367
have been 16 feet under water. From these discoveries it
may fairly be surmised that the site of the Temple Mills
had anciently been a place of burial on the roadside, or
a little distance from the great road which ran across the
marsh.
To the left of Sydney Road, formerly known as Wick Lane,
was once a beautiful upland field, known as the Hilly Field,
a gradually rising ground until it abruptly sloped down to
the marshes. This is now occupied by a Board school, also
extensive coal-sidings and the railway, while what was still
left of it to the south-west is covered by small property.
On the right were first the extensive gardens of the last
houses in High Street, then a meadow and private gardens
and grounds, in the centre of which stood Wick House,
latterly the residence of T. Ballance, but some while before
that of Levy Smith, whose grounds led down to the silk-mills
belonging to him, situated on Hackney Brook, having a mill
dam there and worked by water-power. Silk- Mill Row,
which by an inscription on a stone tablet was refronted
(perhaps rebuilt) in 1820, was a row of cottages for the
workpeople. Two branches of the trade were carried on
at these mills, first throwing the silk, i.e., preparing it from
the raw state, and thus fitting it for weaving. There were
latterly two steam-engines employed in place of the water-
power, by which upwards of 30,000 spindles were set in
motion, and between six and seven hundred men, women,
and children were employed. When the manufacture of silk
was removed from here, horsehair and flock were dressed
and manufactured. This Wick House was for some years
the residence of Colonel Mark Beaufoy, F.R.S., who was an
authority on nautical and hydraulic matters, and the ancestor
of the Beaufoys of South Lambeth. From the manuscript
history of Hackney by John Thomas it appears that a
nautical clock was stolen from Colonel Beaufoy's observatory
in 1806. This clock had four hands, by means of which the
distance a ship had sailed could be told from 150 miles down
to single yards. This curious machine was put in motion
368 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
by a log-line, and was considered a great discovery in
navigation. The closing career of Wick House was that
of a gentleman's school till it was pulled down in course of
time. We also gather from a newspaper cutting of 1805
that near this spot a serious coach accident took place.
The coach was passing down Hackney Wick, laden with
passengers, when a heavy thunderstorm came on. The
coachman dismounted to lead the horses for safety, as it
was pitch dark, but he missed the usual track, and the
Season Ticket for the White House Fishery, Hackney Marsh, 1810. (From the
original in the Tyssen Library, Hackney.)
vehicle, coming on the edge of a precipice, was overturned
and lodged in the wash. Many of the passengers wrere hurt,
but the coach was almost broken to pieces, although the
horses were saved.
The White House public-house, which is situated in an
isolated position in the centre of the marshes, possesses a
museum, in which may be seen some interesting specimens
of rare birds, which were formerly observed along the banks
of the Lea. The rarest of all is a fine specimen of the
HACKNEY MARSH 369
cream-coloured courser, a native of Barbary and Abyssinia,
of which only three or four have been taken in this country
during the last century. The specimens of fish include a
jack of 25 lb., trout nj lb., barbel 13^ lb., chub 7^ lb.,
carp ii lb., bream 5! lb., and an eel of 4 lb. This latter,
however, is altogether eclipsed by a monster fresh-water eel
weighing 22 lb. 7 oz., which was caught in 1766. At the
period when these were principally taken the White House
Fishery was at its height, and had no less than 150 annual
subscribers. In the Tyssen Library at Hackney may be
seen some of the elaborate cards of membership, as well as
a copy of ' The Angler's Companion and Guide to the White
House Fishery,' containing a view of the White House and
map.
Dick Turpin frequently made this house his home, and
was from time to time in concealment here after some of his
predatory excursions. In fact, this part of the world seems
to have been a favourite haunt of highwaymen, the marshes
especially, owing to their solitude, being very often the
scenes of daring robberies.
Some law-breakers of a different kind are associated with
the marsh. In 1682 the Rye House conspirators had pre-
pared blunderbusses, muskets, and pistols, which were to be
brought by the river Lea from the marsh almost to the
gate. These arms they designated ' swan-quills, goose-quills,
and crow-quills.' They also had ordered powder and shot
by the appellation of ' ink and sand.'*
In the rainy season the footpaths across the marshes were
often impassable, the Lea overflowing its banks considerably.
One of the most serious of these floods took place in January,
1841, when, after a rapid thaw accompanied with heavy rain-
showers, the marshes and the low-lying lands on both sides
of the river Lea presented a large sheet of water from Strat-
ford to Tottenham Mills. The accumulation of the water
on the marsh caused great injury to the railway, the banks
being undermined in several places, so that the running of
* John Thomas, MS. ' History of Hackney/ p. 29.
24
370 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
the trains was stopped for some time. Communication was
kept up between Homerton and the White House in its
isolated position on the marsh by means of boats, and
many houses in the lower part of Hackney were flooded. A
still older record in 1775 tells us that the waters were so
much out on Hackney Marsh that the inhabitants were
obliged to live in their upper apartments and have their
provisions brought to them in a boat.
In 1766 an Act was passed for the further improvement of
the river Lea by means of canals or cuts in different parts
of its course from Hertford to the river Thames. Among
these it was provided that a cut should be formed, leading
from the proper channel of the river, between Lea Bridge
and the buildings belonging to the Hackney — now the East
London — Water Works, close by the Pudding Mill stream.
This Hackney cut, which passes through the marsh, was
completed in 1770, and was opened on September 17, when
many barges and boats immediately passed up to try if it
were navigable, and it proved to answer extremely well.*
By a later Act, passed in 1850, for the further improve-
ment of the navigation of the river Lea, power was given to
the river trustees to make certain new cuts, which involved
the taking of some more of the lammas lands, for which the
sum of £449 is. 6d. was awarded as compensation.
In 1641 a divine named John Thomas, in an appendix to
a small pamphlet entitled ' The Booke of Common Prayer
Vindicated,'! called attention to the discovery of a ' base sect
of people called Re-baptists in Hackney-marsh neere London/
The account of the proceedings must be given in the author's
own words : ' About a fortnight since, a great multitude of
people were met going towards the river in Hackney Marsh,
and were followed to the water-side, where they all were
baptized againe, themselves doing it to one another, some of
which persons were so feeble and aged that they were fayne
* Gentleman's Magazine, September, 1770.
t There is a copy of this curious publication in the Tyssen Library at
Hackney.
HACKNEY MARSH 371
to ride on horsebacke thithere. This was wel observed by
many of the inhabitants living there abouts and afterwards
one of them christened his owne child and another tooke
upon him to church his owne wife, an abominable act, and
full of grosse impiety.'
The grazing rights have always been of considerable value.
All parishioners that paid parish rates in house or lands to
the amount of £ 10 had the right to depasture cattle upon
the marshes upon payment of fixed annual charges. These
charges have of late years been applied to improving the
approach road and the marsh generally, which not many
years ago were impassable at wet seasons.
The marshes, with their great extent of level surface,
afford exceptional facilities for cricket and football. The
Earl of Meath, at the dedication ceremony, declared them
to be the most magnificent playground in the world. Before
their acquisition for public use, they were the rendezvous on
Sunday mornings of a peculiar crowd, made up of gunners,
rabbit-coursers, mouchers, and ' broken sports,' all of whom
were particularly welcomed by the local publicans, whose
receipts were considerably swelled by their presence. On
these meadows was established a rival Hurlingham, sparrows
at a penny apiece taking the place of the aristocrat's pigeon.
Occasionally the victims would be larks at 2d. or starlings at
3d., and on special days even a rabbit. Judging from the
performances, the sportsmen of Hackney Marsh were hardly
likely to clear the country of game. A writer in the Pall Mall
Gazette* witnessed a match between two rival shots : ' They
bought a rabbit and gave it ten yards law, and both fired and
missed it. A black retriever dog brought the wretched
creature back unhurt, and the performance was repeated, the
dog once more carrying it back. They were actually going
to try the same thing again, when the writer picked up the
rabbit and broke its neck. Rather to his surprise, they good-
naturedly agreed to cry their bet off, as the beast had had
enough ; he had been netted from ferrets, been coursed twice
:;: December 15, 1893.
24—2
372
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
that morning, and had eight shots fired at him, and so was
held to have yielded a fair share of sport.
' It would be a libel on the marsh gunners to adduce this
as an average example of their prowess, but it was an actual
HACKNEY MARSH 373
occurrence, and illustrates the drawn-out cruelty and mutila-
tion incidental to this kind of Sunday morning recreation.'
But rabbit-coursing was perhaps even more popular, and
was extensively carried on here in all its cruelty and brutality.
Such scenes remind us of an event which happened in 1791,
when one ' Friday afternoon a bull was baited near Temple
Mills, upon Hackney Marsh, on which occasion it is judged
that, on a moderate computation, upwards of 3,000 people
had assembled by four o'clock. The bull was brought to
the stake soon after that hour, and after twelve dogs had run
at him, he broke loose. A strange scene of uproar and con-
fusion ensued, hackney coaches and jockey-carts driving
furiously in every direction, horsemen riding against each
other, many hundreds of people tumbling one upon another,
and the rest running different ways to avoid the fury of the
enraged animal, which tossed a girl about nine years old,
who fortunately, however, received no material hurt. The
bull was again brought to the stake, and worried by eight
more dogs, one of which attacked him at a time. The bull
was now a third time brought to the stake, and after being
again baited, was led from the ring. . . . The bull being
again brought to the stake, was baited till the approach of
evening, when he was wickedly let loose among the crowd,
which by this time had greatly increased, by a concourse of
people of all descriptions, not only from London, but the
adjacent villages. While at liberty, the bull tossed an elderly
man, but he received no injury.'*
On the same afternoon a desperate prize fight was fought
between a chimney-sweep and a butcher, as a rival attraction
to the bull-baiting.
A more legitimate contest took place in 1737, when a
famous race was run, or rather swam, from Tyler's Ferry to
the bridge on the marsh by two horses. There was pretty
good sport, the winning horse coming in first by two
lengths.f
* From a book of newspaper extracts in the Tyssen Library, Hackney,
t Robinson, ' Hackney.'
374 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
The marsh has now settled down to a more peaceful
and uneventful existence, but one incident has happened
which deserves to be recorded. On the day of the dedication
ceremony, two of the constables employed here were pre-
sented with certificates for saving life. They had jumped
into the deep waters of the Lea with their uniforms on to
rescue some persons from drowning who had accidentally
fallen in. It was fitting that they should receive the rewards
of their gallantry on a day which will be always memorable
in Hackney as the occasion when this magnificent play-
ground was dedicated to public use for ever.
CHAPTER XIX.
HAMPSTEAD HEATH.
THIS fine open space of 240 acres is situated on the
summit of one of the highest hills round London,
and the lights of London, as seen from its broad
expanse, have occupied the attention of poet and
artist alike. Perhaps there is no spot around the Metropolis
which is more identified with the holiday life of the Londoner
than the heath. To a Cockney ' 'Ampstead 'Eath' is par
excellence the place to spend a happy day. He seeks recrea-
tion near at home, and he finds here more liberty than in
the trim elegance of the parks. It is irksome for him to be
ordered to keep off the grass, or to be told that his dog must
be led with a string or some other suitable fastening ; and
so Bank Holiday sees even this huge recreation-ground of
the northern heights uncomfortably crowded. At these times
the by-laws are relaxed, and some idea of the scene the heath
presents can be gathered by the illustrations given. As many
as 100,000 have been known to come to the heath on a Bank
Holiday, and on one occasion this popularity was the indirect
cause of a serious accident. On Easter Monday, 1892, two
women and six boys were suffocated by the dense crowd
descending the stairs at the railway-station ; but, fortunately,
there has been no repetition of this, and this regrettable
contretemps has not caused any diminution in the number
of visitors.
The views from Hampstead Heath have often been com-
pared with those of Richmond Hill, and certainly no other
376
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
place so near London can boast of so varied or extensive a
prospect. Goldsmith has described the view from the top
of the hill as finer than anything he had seen in his wander-
ings abroad, and yet he wrote the 'Traveller.' Apart from
the beauties of the heath, many of the approaches to it are
well worth a visit, especially from the south, in the neigh-
bourhood of Christ Church. The many fine avenues of trees
have led Hone to call Hampstead the ' place of groves.'*
One of the finest of these is that called Judges' Walk or
\U,
Side-Shows, Hampstead Heath, on Bank Holiday.
King's Bench Avenue. The story is that when the plague
was raging in London, the sittings of the Courts of Law
were transferred to Hampstead, and that the heath was
tenanted by gentlemen of the wig and gown, who were forced
to sleep under canvas, like so many rifle volunteers, because
there was no accommodation to be had in the village for love
or money. t Mr. Baines, in his recent work, quotes some
interesting correspondence on this point. It appears that
* Hone, 'Table-book,' p. 810.
t Cassell's ' Old and New London,' vol. v., p. 459.
HAMP STEAD HEATH 377
Sir Francis Palgrave found by accident in the Record Office
the formal account of the assize which was really held under
these old trees in 1665, but unfortunately the reference has
been lost.*
The perambulation of the heath is best commenced from
Hampstead Heath Station, where immediately upon our
entrance we find ourselves in a well-laid-out garden, with a
background of bright flowers. This garden occupies the site
of one of the New River Company's ponds, which has been
Judges' or King's Bench Walk, Hampstead Heath.
filled up. The adjoining round house belongs to the same
company. No one can help admiring the ruggedness of the
scene before him. In front is the wide-stretching heath,
formed by the sand-digging into a series of hills and dales.
Here and there a golden sand-bank, which has not yet been
covered with a green carpet of turf, forms a pleasant relief
in the landscape, whilst all around there are belts and groups
of trees to form a leafy background to the whole. An avenue
of willows at the commencement of East Heath Road leads
* Baines, ' Records of the Manor, Parish, and Borough of Hampstead,'
1890, p. 1 1 6.
378 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
us past the donkey-stand, which is one of the institutions of
Hampstead Heath, to a higher spot where the scene is again
varied. In the immediate distance can be seen across the
valley the noble mansion of Kenwood Towers, whilst behind
the hill are Highgate Church and the classic dome of St.
Joseph's Retreat. On the left, stretching past the viaduct,
is a perfect forest of timber, and, as a contrast, on the other
side the unbroken lines of bricks and mortar, from which
many a tower and steeple rises to the sky. Still ascending,
we come now to the high ground by the Vale of Health,
and look down on what might still be a pleasant place if we
could only shut our eyes to the hideous taverns which force
themselves into notice. We have risen now above the houses,
and can see right across London ; but the culminating point
is reached by Jack Straw's Castle, where there is nothing
but open country stretching forth at our feet. Advantage
was taken of the high ground and the openness of the country
to erect a semaphore telegraph on the ground to the west of
this point, which still bears the name of Telegraph Hill.
This was the first in the line of communication between
Chelsea Hospital and Yarmouth.* Up to this point Hamp-
stead Heath has been indeed charming, but as nothing in
-comparison with what we now see. The heath here is much
wilder, and covered with a wealth of gorse and bracken,
while the trees are more varied, stately firs and graceful
birch being for the first time seen. Much has been written
about the beauties of the prospect from .the elevated ridge
leading from Jack Straw's Castle to the Spaniards, and every
word of praise is well deserved. There is an unbroken view
extending to Finchley, Hendon, Harrow, and even Windsor
Castle may be seen on a fine day. In a hollow close by the
Whitestone Pond is the ancient pound, enclosed with a brick
wall, dated 1787. Crossing now to North End, and exploring
the West Heath, we have finished our perambulations, and
are able to consider the steps which eventually led to the
preservation of this fine open space.
* Park, ' Hampstead,' p. 259.
H AMP STEAD HEATH 379
The growing popularity of Hampstead as a residential
district was perhaps one of the first reasons to make the
past Lords of the Manor anxious to turn the broad acres of
the heath to account as a huge building estate. It was on
the ground adjoining, called the East Park Estate, that Sir
Thomas Wilson, Lord of the Manor, first attempted to
•commence building operations in 1831, and from that time
down till 1871 there was a continual agitation for the pre-
servation of the heath. The Lord of the Manor (who as
tenant of an entailed estate could only grant leases for his
life, or for twenty-one years) was equally active in his exertions
to obtain powers from Parliament to grant long building
leases. It was urged by the supporters of Sir Thomas Wilson
that he had no intention to build on the heath, and that the
agitation against him was promoted for private reasons. But
the evidence given by him before a Committee of the House
of Commons appointed to inquire into the questron of open
spaces in the Metropolis does not bear out this view, as will
be seen by the following :
' Q. (Committee). Do you consider Hampstead Heath
private property ?
A. (Sir Thomas Wilson). Yes.
Q. To be paid for at the same rate as private land adjoin-
ing ?
A. Yes.
Q. Do you consider that the inhabitants of the neighbour-
hood have rights on the heath ?
A. There are presentments in the Court Rolls to show
that they have none.'
In 1857 the appointment of the late Metropolitan Board
of Works gave a fresh impetus to the proceedings, and one
of the first acts of the newly-formed body was to appoint a
committee to consider the necessity for providing more parks
and open spaces for the Metropolis. This committee reported
' that considering the advantages which Hampstead Heath
presents for promoting the health of the Metropolis, and its
value from the beauty of its site as an ornament to the
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
capital, and considering also that the acquisition of the site
of the heath and of such adjoining lands as it may be
desirable to connect therewith will, if the purchase thereof
be delayed, involve a very much larger expenditure than
would be required at the present time, it is important that
the heath and the adjoining lands above referred to should
be purchased for the public use at as early a period as
Swings on Hampstead Heath on Bank Holiday.
possible.' But at this time the late Board's attention was
taken up with the proposal to form Finsbury Park, and the
question had therefore to remain in abeyance. In January,
1858, the attention of the late Board was called to the
application to Parliament by the Hampstead Vestry for
power to purchase Hampstead Heath and certain lands
adjoining to form a park, and to impose upon the Board the
HAMP STEAD HEATH 381
duty of acquiring the funds required for that object. This
Bill was not opposed by Sir Thomas Wilson, because it is
said that the purchase-money for the heath would have been
at least £400,000 ; but the Board, although agreeing with
the proposed purchase, were not quite satisfied with the terms
of the Bill, and they successfully opposed it in Parliament.
The Select Committee of the House of Commons, however,
reported that, although they had decided to negative the
preamble, they were ' strongly impressed with the public
utility of the proposed purchase of Hampstead Heath for
the purpose of the recreation and health of the labouring
classes of the Metropolis, and they wished to impress upon
the Metropolitan Board of Works the urgent necessity of
taking the matter into their serious consideration, with a
view to secure Hampstead Heath for the public without any
unnecessary delay, as, owing to the peculiar circumstances
of the case, the Committee fear that the selling price of the
property will be largely increased if deferred much longer.'
Such a decided expression of opinion could hardly fail to
carry weight with the Board ; but although steps were taken
to ascertain the several interests in the land, no practical
result followed, and the question stood in abeyance for several
years.
In 1866 a most important measure was passed, as far
as the interests of commons are concerned, namely, the
Metropolitan Commons Act, which prevented the enclosure
of such lands within a radius of fourteen miles from Charing
Cross. This fact, together with local representation, again
revived the agitation, and the Chairman of the late Metro-
politan Board of Works approached Sir Thomas M. Wilson
with a view to ascertain whether he was prepared to negotiate
for the dedication of Hampstead Heath to the public use,
and, if so, upon what terms. This interview was altogether
unfruitful, and the price mentioned by the Lord of the
Manor for the heath, regarding it as building-land, was from
£5,000 to £10,000 per acre, which was of course out of the
question, and it appeared useless to continue the negotiations
382 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
at that time. In the month of December of this same year
(1866) Sir Thomas Wilson began to build simultaneously on
two different parts of the heath. On the highest and most
prominent part, near the flagstaff, the foundations of a house
were laid. At another part, near Squire's Mount, only the
sods were removed and building materials brought upon
the ground. A protest was at once made by some of the
copyholders, headed by Mr. J. Gurney Hoare, but the steward
refused to enter this upon the Court Rolls, because he said it
contained a statement prejudicial to the rights of the Lord of
the Manor, and the only entry made was to the effect that the
acts complained of had been done, without specifying by whom.
As the building operations still went on, a lengthy action was
commenced by Mr. Hoare on behalf of the copyholders
against the Lord of the Manor, with the object of their
being declared entitled to the rights of common, to dig
gravel, sand, and loam for their necessary use, and to use
the heath for recreation ; and at the same time to restrain
the Lord from selling the sand, loam, and gravel, otherwise
than for the proper use of the demesne lands, from destroy-
ing the trees or pasture, and from building on or enclosing
the heath. Before this suit was brought to a termination,
the Lord of the Manor died, and in January, 1870, it was
ascertained that his successor, Sir John Wilson, was willing
to negotiate for the sale of the heath. The result of these
negotiations was that Sir John and all others concerned
decided to co-operate with the late Board in obtaining the
necessary Parliamentary powers, the purchase-money for
the whole of the interest of the Lord of the Manor being
fixed at £45,000, with an additional sum of £2,000 for
expenses. A Bill was at once promoted in the next session
of Parliament, which received the royal assent on June 29,
1871. The late Board of Works took formal possession of
the heath on January 13, 1872, and dedicated it to the use
of the public for ever.
It will be seen from this account that the earlier proposals
were to form the heath into a park, but the peculiar beauty
H AMP STEAD HEATH 383
arising from its wiidness would have been lost if this had
been done. Subsequently some important additions of
land, such as Judges' Walk, the lovely Wildwood Avenue,
and other plots not included in the original contract for the
heath, were purchased in order to preserve its picturesque-
ness, and various planting works have been undertaken, but
no extensive laying-out has been done, and so the natural
features which have endeared it to so many artists have been
preserved. At the time when the heath was purchased its
surface had been much spoilt by the extensive sand-digging
carried on ; but the hand of Nature is very kind, and these
depressions have now been transformed into grassy dells.
North End, Hampstead.
This sand is confined to the heath and is not found in
neighbouring fields, a fact which has puzzled many geologists.
It is admitted that this deposit of sand has been caused by
some operation of Nature, probably by the action of some
former sea or lake. The waters having subsided, or having
been turned into some other channel immediately after
making this deposit, the slight exterior coating of mud or
slime which they left behind was not sufficient by any
natural process to form a soil capable of agricultural cultiva-
tion. But this deposit of sand was not made equally over
the previously deposited mound of clay, with a consequence
that in some places the clay remained as the outward stratum,
384 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
or was covered, not with sand, but with loam. Where this
was the case the soil was productive, but where the sand
remained it was barren and useless for cultivation, and
consequently remained as common land, unenclosed and un-
cultivated. The remaining rich soil was at an early time
sufficiently valuable to form a fitting gift from a King to a
prominent Minister, and eventually resolved itself as the
Manor of Hampstead, to which the sand-covered tract was
attached as waste land, so that it would be more correct
to speak of the heath being confined to the sand than
vice versa.*
The word Hampstead (originally Hamestede) is a corruption
of ' homestead,' and the name has probably been given to the
district from the fact that, in its early history, all that was
habitable was a small farm of some 500 acres, with no other
habitations near except a few hovels occupied by farm
labourers. This homestead formed, no doubt, an occasional
residence for the monks of Westminster Abbey. Long
before the early times when Hampstead was the possession
of the monks, the district formed part of the ancient forest
of Middlesex, through which the Romans constructed their
highway — Watling Street — on the west of Hampstead.
Both Camden and Norden make Watling Street to have
crossed the heath, but the evidence is against this theory.
Roman remains have, however, been discovered close to the
heath, just at the commencement of Well Walk. In the
summer of 1774 a Roman sepulchral urn, large enough to
hold 10 or 12 gallons was dug up, but it was broken to
pieces before it was got out."f-
The first grant of property here, the date of which is very
uncertain, was by King Edgar to one of his noblemen, called
Mangoda, who is mentioned in the King's charters as nobilis
minister. By a second charter, dated 986, the Manor of
Hampstead, of which the heath was the waste land, was
given to the monks of Westminster by Ethelred. The gift
* Park, ' Hampstead,' pp. 47, 48.
f Gentleman's Magazine, vol. xlvi., p. 169.
HAMPSTEAD HEATH 385
was confirmed by William the Conqueror. It remained the
property of the Abbey till the dissolution, when it formed
part of the endowment of the new bishopric of Westminster,
founded in 1540. Dr. Thirlby was the first and the only
Bishop of Westminster, and during the nine years of his
tenure he alienated nearly all the property of the see, and
it must have been a good thing for Westminster when he
was translated to Norwich, whereupon his former see was
reduced to a deanery, and the Manor of Hampstead reverted
to the Crown. It was granted in 1551 by Edward VI. to
Sir Thomas Wroth, in whose family it remained till 1620,
when it was sold to Sir Baptist Hickes, afterwards Lord
Campden. His son-in-law, Sir Robert Noel, next obtained
the manor by marriage, and so brought it into the Gains-
borough family. The third Earl of Gainsborough sold the
manor to Sir William Langhorne, Bart., who also pur-
chased the Manor of Charlton, in Kent, both of which
descended, as we have already seen,* to Sir Thomas Maryon
Wilson.
One of the peculiar customs of the Manor of Hampstead
was recently revived, when a court baron was held to effect
a seizure in the case of the copyhold hereditaments of one of
the tenants, who had been deceased over seven years, but
whose heirs, although they had been ' proclaimed ' three
times, had not ' been admitted ' to the ' copyhold heredita-
ments of which he died possessed.' Every search had been
made to find the heirs but without avail. It therefore
became the steward's duty, according to the manorial
customs, to order 'a seizure in the name of the lord,' and
the property was forfeited for want of an heir.
Hampstead at the present day is looked upon with decided
favour as a fashionable suburb, but such has not always been
the case. In the reign of the bluff King Hal, its chief
inhabitants were washerwomen ; and here the clothes of the
nobility, gentry, and chief citizens of London used to be
brought to receive that whiteness which only country air can
* See p. 167.
386 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
give.* Coming on now to the seventeenth century, it was
chosen by a few of the more venturesome citizens as an
occasional residence ; but it was not till the beginning of
the next century that it came into popular favour. The
event which brought Hampstead into prominence was one
which has exerted such a mysterious influence on so many
parts of the Metropolis — viz., the discovery of medicinal
springs. In the course of our travels to the various parks
and open spaces, we have met with these on many occasions
at Dulwich, Streatham, and other places. The story of
these fashionable wells is almost identical. At first, after
an accidental discovery, some fortunate invalid was reported
to have received a miraculous cure from the use of the waters.
Then they began to be recommended by certain physicians,
aware perhaps of the efficacy of novelty with the fanciful.
Immediately they became the height of fashion, and some
enterprising proprietor introduced music and entertainment
to attract the robust as well as the invalids. Finally, for no
apparent cause, except that some rival spring had been
discovered, their mushroom popularity was over, and their
decline rapid, and it is only by consulting past records that
we are reminded of their existence. This is the story of the
Hampstead wells.
It is not certain when they were discovered, but they were
held in some public esteem in 1698. Dr. Gibbons (the
Mirmillo of Garth's ' Dispensary ') was the first physician to
recommend them for medicinal purposes, and his example
being followed by many others, they sprang into popularity
at once. The wells were furnished with a tavern, situated
near the East Heath in Well Walk, and the newspapers of
the time are full of advertisements of the advantages offered,
which comprised a dancing-room, raffling shops, and a bowl-
ing green. The following is a typical advertisement : ' The
wells are about to be opened with very good music for
dancing all day long, and to continue every Monday during
* From a MS. 'History of Middlesex,' quoted in Brewer's 'London
and Middlesex,' vol. iv., p. 190.
H AMP STEAD HEATH
387
the season ; there is all needful accommodation for water-
drinkers of both sexes ; and all other entertainment for good
eating and drinking ; very good stables for fine horses ; and
a further accommodation of a stage coach and chariot from
the wells at any time in the evening or morning.'*
It was about this time that a comedy by Baker, called
' Hampstead Heath,' was produced at Drury Lane, which is
chiefly interesting because it contains a satirical description
Whitestone Pond, Hampstead Heath.
;>-
of the frequenters and the amusements of Hampstead. The
opening scene commences :
1 Smart. Hampstead for awhile assumes the day ; the
lovely season of the year, the shining crowd assembled at
this time, and the noble situation of the place, gives us the
nearest show of Paradise.
' Bloom. London now, indeed, has but a melancholy
aspect, and a sweet rural spot seems an adjournment o' the
nation, where business is laid fast asleep, variety of diversions
feast our fickle fancies, and every man wears a face of
pleasure. The cards fly, the bowl runs, the dice rattle. . . .
* Postboy, May 10, 1707.
25—2
388 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
( Smart. Assemblies so near the town give us a sample of
each degree. We have court ladies that are all air and no
dress; city ladies that are overdressed and no air; and
country dames with brown faces like a Stepney bun ; besides
an endless number of Fleet Street sempstresses that dance
minuets in their furbeloe scarfs.'*
But in addition to the dancing-room and the bowling-
green, there was another very accommodating institution in
connection with the wells, called Sion Chapel, where any
couples could be married who brought a license and five
shillings ; and an advertisement in Read's Weekly Journal of
September 8, 1716, informs us that ' Sion Chapel, being a
private £nd pleasure place, many persons of the best fashion
were married there. Now, a minister is obliged constantly
to attend, and therefore notice is given that all persons, on
bringing a license, and who shall have their wedding dinners
in the gardens, may be married in that said chapel without
giving any fee or reward whatever, 't
The popularity of the Hampstead wells lasted for less than
fifty years, and the patronage of its former frequenters was
transferred to the New Tunbridge wells, the site of which
is, curiously enough, also used as a place of recreation, under
the name of Spa Green. But the springs had done their
work ; they had caused a great increase in the residents, who
could not fail to be charmed by the beauty of the district,
and ever since this time Hampstead has held its own among
the outlying suburbs.
The great assembly-room of the tavern seems to have
been put to better uses, and was converted into a chapel
somewhere about 1733, under the title of Well Walk Chapel, J
and continued to be used as such for over a century. The
spring, which now flows very slowly, is covered with a
massive stone fountain adorned with coats-of-arms, and
* Quoted in Park's ' Hampstead.' The original was lent to Mr. Park
by John Kemble for his history.
f Quoted in Howitt's ' Northern Heights,' p. 27.
£ Howitt, { Northern Heights,' p. 29.
HAMP STEAD HEATH 389
bears the inscription ' Chalybeate Well,' so that any visitor
may try its healing virtues without paying the is. for
admission which was formerly the charge. It also bears
on its face a granite tablet :
' To the memory of the Honble. Susanna Noel, who, with her son Baptist,
third Earl of Gainsborough, gave this well together with six acres of land
to the use and benefit of the poor of Hampstead. 2Oth Dec., 1698.
' Drink, traveller, and with strength renewed
Let a kind thought be given
To her who has thy thirst subdued,
Then render thanks to Heaven.'
Before leaving Well Walk with its shady elm-trees, we must
notice the seat at the end nearest to the heath, which has
taken the place of a wooden bench, the favourite resting-
place of the poet Keats.*
From Well Walk it is but a short distance to another
house which was associated with the drinking of the waters.
Before Hampstead had quite lost its popularity as a watering-
place, most of the aristocratic patrons had deserted the
Wells Tavern for the Upper Flask, which also boasted its
card-rooms and its bowling-green. This house situated in
Heath Street, on the right-hand corner of East Heath Road,
has long been a private residence, but its past historical
associations are very interesting. During the time it was
a public tavern, it was the summer resort of the Kit-Cat
Club, which boasted among its members such names as
Steele, Pope, and Dr. Arbuthnot. These litterati used to
sip their ale under the venerable old mulberry-tree which
flourished till 1876, when the weight of the snow in a heavy
storm at Christmas time broke it down and destroyed it.
Sir Richard Blackmore in his poem, ' The Kit-Cats,' has
alluded to their visits to Hampstead :
* Or when, Apollo-like, thou'rt pleased to lead
Thy sons to feast on Hampstead's airy head —
Hampstead, that, towering in superior sky,
Now with Parnassus does in honour vie.'
* Hone, 'Table-book.'
390 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
The Upper Flask has also been made famous by Richardson
in his novel of ' Clarissa Harlowe,' who makes his heroine
escape here for a short time from the pursuit of Lovelace.
Mrs. Barbauld, long a resident at Hampstead, says ' she
well remembers a Frenchman who paid a visit to Hampstead
for the sole purpose of finding out the house where Clarissa
lodged, and was surprised at the ignorance or indifference of
the inhabitants on that subject. The Flask Walk was to
him as much classic ground as the rocks of Mallerie to the
admirers of Rousseau.*
Richardson is not the only author to bring Hampstead
Heath into prominence. Macaulay in describing the beacon-
flames that warned England of the approach of the Armada,
describes how ' High on bleak Hampstead's swarthy moor
they started for the north ' ; and, again, Charles Dickens,
who frequently used to ride to Jack Straw's Castle, tells
us of Bill Sikes in his flight after the murder coming to
Hampstead Heath. ' Traversing the hollow of the Vale of
Health, he mounted the opposite bank, and, crossing the
road which joins the villages of Hampstead and Highgate,
made along the remaining portion of the heath to the fields
at North End, in one of which he laid himself down under a
hedge and slept.'
The last innkeeper who had possession of the Upper
Flask was Samuel Stanton, whose nephew and successor of
the same name was styled ' gentleman ' in 1737. He left it
to his niece, Lady Charlotte Rich, and in 1771 it was
purchased by George Steevens, the well-known commentator
of Shakespeare, who resided here till his death in iSoo.f
He possessed an ample fortune, and spent a large amount in
the improvement of the house and grounds.
Following now the main road from the Upper Flask
across the heath, we arrive at another historical inn, Jack
Straw's Castle, now being rebuilt. The mantel-tree over
* f Life of Richardson,' quoted in Thome's * Environs of London,'
part i., p. 282.
f Howitt, ' Northern Heights/ p. 127.
HAMPSTEAD HEATH 391
the kitchen fireplace is said to have been made from the
gibbet-post on which was suspended the corpse of Jackson,
a notorious highwayman.
Jack Straw, it will be remembered, came into prominence
in Wat Tyler's rebellion. He was in charge of the in-
surgents who burnt the Priory of St. John of Jerusalem,
thence striking off to Highbury, where they destroyed the
house of Sir Robert Hales, and afterwards encamped on
Hampstead Heights. The original ' castle ' of Jack Straw
consisted of a mere hovel, or a hole in the hill-side. If the
rebels had been successful in their ambitious projects, Jack
Straw was to have been king of one of the eastern counties,
probably Middlesex.
-£>* _..-:'_*.— .• ...._
Jack Straw's Castle, Hampstead Heath, 1891.
It was on the slope behind the ' castle ' that the corpse of
John Sadleir, the fraudulent M.P. for Sligo, was found on
the morning of Sunday, February 17, 1856. Beside it was
a small phial which had contained essential oil of almonds,
and also a silver cream -jug from which he had taken the
fatal draught. He was connected with several enterprises,
and by means of forgeries and misrepresentations had duped
many. He continued to deceive till the very last, and it
was not till after his suicide that the extent of his infamy
was brought to light. He was led to take his life by the
action of Messrs. Glyn, the London agents of the Tipperary
Bank, of which he was the principal manager. They re-
turned its drafts as ' not provided for/ a step which was
392 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
followed a day or two after by the Bank of Ireland.*
Hampstead is an awkward place for a suicide to select. In
the event of a jury returning a verdict of felo de se, the Lord
of the Manor is entitled to the whole of the goods and
chattels of the deceased of every kind, with the exception of
his estate of inheritance. Sadleir's goods and chattels were
already forfeit, but the cream-jug was claimed and received
by the Lord of the Manor as an acknowledgment of his
right, and then returned.! John Sadleir figures in Dickens'
' Little Dorritt ' as Mr. Merdle. ' I shaped Mr. Merdle
himself,' he writes, ' out of that glorious rascality.'
Leaving now Jack Straw's Castle and continuing our walk
along the breezy Spaniards Road, we arrive at the other
end of the heath at the Spaniards Inn. This is built
upon the site of the toll-gate (marked in Rocque's map as
Spaniard Gate) erected by the Bishops of London at the
Hampstead end of the road, made in the fourteenth century
through their land to the North of England, when the
Roman highway, Watling Street, had become neglected and
ruinous. J It derives its name from the fact that it was
taken originally by a Spaniard as a place of entertainment.
Subsequently a Mr. Staples ' improved and beautifully
ornamented ' its gardens, and made ' pleasant grass and
gravel walks, with a mount ' commanding extensive views
into seven counties. The walks and plats were embellished
'with a great many curious figures, depicted with pebble
stones of various colours, viz., a rainbow and star; the sun
in its glory ; the seven stars ; the Star and Garter ; motto and
crown ; half moon ; a coat-of-arms ; the twelve signs of the
zodiac; Tower of London ; Hercules' pillars; the blazing star;
a dial on the grand mount ; Adam and Eve ; Salisbury spire ;
the Roman eagle,' and a host of others equally curious. §
* Gentleman s Magazine.
f Thome, 'Environs of London,' vol. i., p. 284.
\ Park, ' Hampstead,' pp. 15, 252.
§ From a manuscript description of Middlesex, quoted by Park,
pp. 252, 253.
HAMPSTEAD HEATH
393
This extensive list of subjects has long ago disappeared,
together with the mount and a greater portion of its views,
but the garden is still a pleasant one.
The Spaniards played an important part in the Gordon
riots of 1780. Dickens describes in ' Barnaby Rudge ' how
the rioters, after sacking Lord Mansfield's house in Blooms-
bury Square, ' marched away to his country seat at Caen
Wood, between Hampstead and Highgate,' bent upon
destroying that house likewise, and lighting up a great fire
South View of the Spaniards, Hampstead Heath. (From a print by.
Chastelaine, in the King's Library, British Museum.)
there, which from that height should be seen all over
London. But in this they were disappointed, for a party
of horse, having arrived before them, they retreated faster
than they went, and came straight back to town.' This
does not tell us anything about the generous act of the
landlord of the Spaniards, which led to the decamping
of the besiegers. Fresh from their destructive v/ork in
London, on their way to Caen Wood they had to pass
this inn, when the landlord, learning their object, stood
394 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
at his door and invited them to drink. He threw open his
cellars to this hot and thirsty crew, already broiling from the
fire in Bloomsbury, and whilst they caroused he had a
messenger speeding his way to the barracks for a detach-
ment of the Horse Guards. By the time that the rioters
had exhausted the barrels of the Spaniards, they found this
troop drawn up across their way to Caen Wood. The
steward and Mr. Wetherall, the medical man of the family,
had also sent out ale in abundance from the cellars of Lord
Mansfield ; and thus, at once tottering under the fumes of
beer and confronted by the soldiery, the mob fled, and left
Caen Wood to stand peacefully through more peaceful
times.'*
To turn from rioters to a loyal demonstration we must
pass on to 1803, when the Defence Act was just carried. In
the summer there was a great gathering on the heath, which
all Hampstead turned out to see. The loyal parish was
literally up in arms to give effect to the measure, and no
fewer than 700 good men and true took the oath of allegi-
ance as volunteers.-)- Subsequently the heath was resorted
to for rifle practice, and in 1808 a target-bank was formed.
The same fate befell this as the rifle ranges at Wimbledon,
for the homage upon the representation of Lord Erskine
and others complained ' that in consequence of several corps
of volunteers, militia, and other military, having of late
resorted to the target-ground which was formed on Hamp-
stead Heath for the use of the corps of Hampstead volunteers
exclusively, and by reason of the frequent firing with ball
at the targets set up against a mound or bank thrown up
by the permission of the lady of this manor adjoining her
freehold land, next the said heath, the peace and tranquillity
of the manor and parish of Hampstead is very much broken
and disturbed, and such firing is not only extremely preju-
dicial to the comfort of the inhabitants of Hampstead, but
* Howitt, ' Northern Heights,' p. 354.
f Baines, ' Hampstead,' pp. 452, 453.
HAMP STEAD HEATH 395
from the unskilfulness and irregular conduct of some of the
military who come from places out of the parish to practise
firing on the said ground and heath, has already been pro-
ductive ... of very serious injuries and accidents to persons
. . . traversing the said heath.' The target-bank had
therefore to be dug down, and the site was levelled in the
following June.*
* From the Court Rolls, May 30, 1808.
CHAPTER XX.
H AMP STEAD HEATH (continued}.
THE large but plain white house adjoining the
Spaniards is celebrated for having been the resi-
dence of Lord Erskine, who has been pronounced
by other distinguished lawyers the greatest forensic
orator that England has ever produced. It is surrounded
by high walls that shut out the view of its grounds from the
sight of the curious, and the chief characteristic about its
appearance is the long portico leading into it from the road.
When Lord Erskine came to live here the house was not
of much importance, but it had extensive grounds and com-
manded a fine view of the picturesque surroundings. He
at once set about improving it, and having planted it with
evergreens of different descriptions, he gave it the name of
Evergreen Hill.* He is also said to have planted with his
own hand the extraordinarily broad holly hedge separating'
his kitchen-garden from the heath, opposite to the Fir-Tree
Avenue. t The present name of the mansion is Erskine
House, after its famous occupant. The greater part of the
leisure time of this legal light was spent in his garden,
which was on the opposite side of the road, and connected
with the house by a subterranean passage. At a time when
he was at the very pinnacle of his profession he describes
his private life thus in a letter to a friend : ' I am now very
* Park, 'Hampstead,' p. 319.
f Howitt, ' Northern Heights,' p. 57.
H AMP STEAD HEATH
397
busy flying my boy's kite, shooting with a bow and arrow,
and talking to an old Scotch gardener six hours a day about
the same things, which, taken altogether, are not of the value
or importance of a Birmingham halfpenny, and scarcely up
to the exertion of reading the daily papers.' *
Many of the famous men of the day came to Hampstead
as the guests of Lord Erskine, and here occurred his last
meeting with Burke, from whom he had been estranged for
Erskine House, Hampstead Heath, in 1869.
some time owing to a difference in politics. Their parting,
as described by Erskine, is very affecting : ' What a prodigy
Burke was ! He came to see me not long before he died. I
then lived on Hampstead Hill. " Come, Erskine," said he,
holding out his hand, "let us forget all ! I shall soon quit
this stage, and wish to die in peace with everybody, especially
you." I reciprocated the statement, and we took a turn
round the grounds. Suddenly he stopped. An extensive
prospect over Caen Wood broke upon him. He stood
* Quoted in Hewitt's ' Northern Heights,' p. 73.
398 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
wrapped in thought, gazing on the sky as the sun was
setting. " Ah, Erskine !" he said, pointing towards it, " this
is just the place for a reformer ; all the beauties are beyond
your reach — you cannot destroy them."'
But even lawyers are sometimes found napping, and Lord
Erskine found out to his cost that he had made a great
mistake in selling Evergreen Hill, and buying a barren
estate in Sussex, where he is said to have set up a manu-
factory of brooms, which was the only valuable product of
his property. His Hampstead house remains much the
same as he left it, but the subterraneous tunnel has been
filled in, and the grounds connected by it with the rest of
the property are now in the possession of Lord Mansfield.
Chief Justice Tindal afterwards lived in this house.-)- It has
been pointed out that the contemporary residence of three
great legal lords at Hampstead in the persons of Lords
Erskine, Mansfield, and Loughborough is one of the most
remarkable associations of the place, and the residence of
Erskine there will ever remain as one of its greatest glories. J
The middle house of the three near the Spaniards was
once the residence of Sir W. E. Parry, the Arctic explorer.
From his garden at the back, looking due north over the
low range of the Middlesex hills, Sir Edward must have seen
the streamers of the Aurora Borealis flaming into the sky, re-
minding him of his ice-bound Arctic home of former years. §
It was in April, 1842, that Parry went to Hampstead for
the benefit of his health. * I cannot express,' he wrote, ' how
I continue to enjoy, and, I am sure, to profit by, the lovely
views from Hampstead and its charming air.'H
The detached house known as The Firs was built by a
tobacconist, Mr. Turner, of Fleet Street, who planted the
grove of fir-trees in front, and made the road from here to
North End.
* Quoted in Hewitt's ' Northern Heights,' p. 80.
t Baines, ' Hampstead,' p. 429.
* Howitt, * Northern Heights,' p. 81. .
§ Baines, l Hampstead,' p. 472.
|| ' Memoirs of Parry,' by his son, p. 267.
H AMP STEAD HEATH 399
The chain of ponds on the heath forms a prominent
feature. They are fed by the numerous springs for which
Hampstead has long been noted. In the reign of Henry VIII.
the question of an increased water-supply for the Metropolis
was being considered because that ' eyther for fayntness of
the springes, or for the drinesse of the earth, the accustomed
course of the waters comminge from the olde springes and
auncient heades, are sore decayed, diminished, and abated,'
as the Act passed in the thirty-fifth year of his reign, ' con-
cernynge the repayring, makyng, and amendynge of the
Cundytes in London,' quaintly puts it. ' For remedy
The Fir-trees, Hampstead Heath.
whereof, Sir William Bowyer, knight, nowe mayre of the
saide citie . ... not onely by diligent searche and ex-
ploracion, hath founde out dyvers great and plentyfull
sprynges at Hampsteade-heath, Marybone, Hackney, Mus-
welle-hylle . . . but also hath laboured, studied, and devised
the conveyaunce thereof, by cundytes, vautes, and pipes to
the saide citie.' The Mayor and citizens were empowered
by this Act to lay pipes, dig pits, and erect conduits in the
grounds of any proprietors wherever required, ' Provided
always . . . that if the sayd mayre and comminaltie of the
citie of London . . .do fetch and convey any water from
400
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
any springe or springes within the saide heath called
Hampsted Heath unto the sayde citie . . . then they . . .
shall for ever pay unto the Bysshop of Westminster for the
tyme being, at the feast of Saint Michaell the archaungel,
one pounde of pepper ; in and for the acknowledgement of
hym and them for the lordes and very owners of the saide
heath.' These works were carried out by a later Mayor,
Sluice-House on H amp stead Heath.
Sir John Hart, in 1589-90, but the springs were afterwards
leased out by the City. In 1692 the lessees were incor-
porated under the name of the Hampstead Water Company,*
whose works were afterwards transferred to the New River
Company.
In course of time the supply was not equal to the demand,
and the company then proceeded (1835) to sink a well in
* Park, 'Hampstead,' pp. 71-74.
H AMP STEAD HEATH 401
the vicinity of the ponds at the south of the heath. The
work was long and difficult, but at the depth of nearly
400 feet an excellent spring of water was discovered. The
great depth, however, necessitated the use of a steam-engine
to raise the water to the surface, for the accommodation of
which the ' Round House,' which still stands, was built.*
The wells have now been superseded by other sources of
supply, but the ponds are available for different sports at
various seasons of the year : in winter, skating, in the
summer, model yachting and fishing, whilst bathing is
carried on all the year round. The water is very deep and
dangerous, so that it is necessary to have a boatman on duty
in case of any sudden emergency.
In addition to the chain of ponds there are other isolated
pieces of water — the Leg of Mutton Pond on the extreme
west, the Whitestone Pond near Jack Straw's Castle (the
soil of which is not part of the heath), and another large
pond also belonging to the New River Company, near the
Vale of Health, which was added in 1777. The Whitestone
Pond was originally only a small one, but it was enlarged
and otherwise improved by the vestry in 1875. It takes its
name from the white milestone which stands just inside the
shrubbery near the pond. The Leg of Mutton Pond was
formed, and part of the road from Child's Hill to North
End was raised and improved, during a severe winter as the
result of wrorks instituted for the relief of the unemployed
poor by Mr. Hankin, an overseer of the parish. About
1825 the road was known as Hankin's Folly. t
The works carried out by Sir John Hart were undertaken
at the time when the course of the river Fleet was much
choked up. This ancient river, which is now nothing more
than a sewer, had its source in a spring which rose at the
foot of Hampstead Hill, and fell into the Thames at
Blackfriars. It was once large enough to admit of ten or
twelve ships laden with merchandise coming up to Fleet
Bridge. Even after the Fire of London, it was cleared out
* Baines, 'Hampstead,' p. 212. f Ibid., p. 208.
26
402 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
so as to admit barges of considerable burden as far as
Holborn Bridge.*
The fanciful name of the Vale of Health is a relic of the
time when Hampstead was a watering-place. Its former
name was Hatches Bottom. It would be a picturesque spot
but for the huge unsightly tavern, with its towers and
Well Walk, Hampstead, showing Keats' Favourite Seat.
battlements, which spoils all the beauty of the rustic cottages
under the shade of the willows. But we have another
grudge against this Vale of Health tavern. To make room
for it a cottage, which was the home of Leigh Hunt, had to
be pulled down. It was ' the first one that fronts the valley/
and Shelley and Keats were often there. In fact, it was
through his many visits to his friend's house that Keats
* Park, ' Hampstead,' p. 73.
H AMP STEAD HEATH 403
obtained that liking for Hampstead which led him to make
it his residence from 1817 till he left England in 1820.
Whilst at Hampstead he wrote ' Ode to a Nightingale,'
' Eve of St. Agnes,' ' Isabella,' ' Lamia,' and ' Hyperion,'
and commenced ' Endymion.' It is well known how sad
were the last years of this poet. Leigh Hunt, as well as
Hone, gives us a melancholy picture of him : ' It was on the
same day, sitting on the bench in Well Walk (the one
against the wall), that he told me, with unaccustomed tears
in his eyes, that his heart was breaking.'* Both Keats and
Shelley died abroad, as if to emphasize by their death in
foreign lands that they were outcasts from England. But
though rejected by their contemporaries, their memory is
treasured by their many admirers of to-day.
The distinguished foreigner Prince Esterhazy occupied,
it is said, about 1840, a house in the Vale of Health, which
has long since been pulled down. It is strange that he who
was reputed to be so wealthy should have chosen so modest
a home. It may perhaps have been to be near the medicinal
spring.f
Halfway down the road leading from Jack Straw's Castle
to North End is Hill House, which was formerly the seat
of Mr. Samuel Hoare, the banker, whose descendant, Mr. J.
Gurney Hoare, was one of the most prominent of those who
resisted the encroachments of the Lord of the Manor upon
the heath. Hill House has acquired fame through the visits
of the poet Crabbe to its genial host. His son writes :
* During his first and second visits to London, my father
spent a good deal of his time beneath the hospitable roof of
the late Samuel Hoare, Esq., on Hampstead Heath. He
owed his introduction to this respectable family to his friend
Mr. Bowles . . . and though Mr. Hoare was an invalid, and
little disposed to form new connections, he was so much
gratified with Mr. Crabbe's manners and conversation, that
* Leigh Hunt, ' Byron and his Contemporaries,' vol. i., p. 440, quoted
in Thome's ' Environs of London.'
f Baines, ' Hampstead,' p. 477.
26 — 2
404 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
their acquaintance grew into an affectionate and lasting
intimacy. Mr. Crabbe in subsequent years made Hampstead
his head-quarters on his spring visits, and only repaired
thence occasionally to the brilliant circles of the Metropolis.' *
The place was evidently congenial to his writing, for the
poet himself writes : ' My time passes here I cannot tell how
pleasantly. To-day I read one of my long stories to my
friends. ... I rhyme at Hampstead with a great deal of
facility, for nothing interrupts me but kind calls, or some-
thing pleasant.' Crabbe was not the only poet to honour
Mr. Hoare, for Coleridge, Wordsworth, Rogers, and Camp-
bell, were frequent visitors when he wras in residence.
Campbell writes of his friend : ' The last time I saw Crabbe
was when I dined with him at the house of Mr. Hoare at
Hampstead. He very kindly came to the coach to see me
off, and I never pass that spot on the top of Hampstead
Heath without thinking of him.'f Wordsworth, too, refers
to his connection with Crabbe at Hampstead :
' Our haughty life is crowned with darkness,
Like London with its own black wreath,
On which with thee, O Crabbe ! forth-looking,
I gazed from Hampstead's breezy heath.'
Following now the road to North End, which becomes
more beautiful at every step, we come into Wildwood
Avenue, a spot which must charm every true lover of Nature.
From thence the road, or rather lane, descends very rapidly
into the quaint little village of North End. It is hard to
believe that London is only five miles away, so quiet and so
rural is the scene, and it is likely to remain so, too, since the
village is surrounded on three sides by the heath. The chief
historical associations of North End are with the fine
mansion known as Wildwoods. There is a Wildwood
marked upon the map in Park's ' Hampstead,' close by the
Spaniards, and there is another house of the same name
* ' Life of the Rev. George Crabbe,' by his son, quoted in Thome's
' Environs of London,' vol. i., p. 289.
t Quoted in 'Old and New London,' vol. v., p. 454.
H AMP STEAD HEATH 405
at North End, neither of which is to be confounded with
Wildwoods, the large mansion at the foot of the hill on the
left-hand side. The house, formerly known as North End
House, must be at least 200 years old, that is, the original
part of it, for it has been enlarged and altered considerably
at different times. The place it occupies is named Wildwood
Corner in Doomsday Book.*
The great Lord Chatham lived in this house for a while, at
that time when the strange and mysterious malady attacked
him which made him as helpless as a child. He was here in
1766 and 1767, at that period when State matters at home
and abroad demanded the most rigorous attention. And
yet the Prime Minister remained at North End, ' inaccessible
and invisible,' and the country was as a ship without a
rudder. During this melancholy time he used to be driven
about the heath in his carriage, with the blinds drawn up,
and shunning the frequented parts as much as possible.
Mr. Howitt, writing in 1869, says : ' The small room, or
rather closet, in which Chatham shut himself up during his
singular affliction — on the third story — still remains in the
same condition. Its position from the outside may be
known by an oriel window looking towards Finchley. The
opening in the wall from the staircase to the room still
remains, through which the unhappy man received his meals
or anything else conveyed to him. It is an opening of
perhaps 18 inches square, having a door on each side of
the wall. The door within had a padlock, which still hangs
upon it. When anything was conveyed to him a knock was
made on the outer door and the articles placed in the recess.
When he heard the outer door again closed, the invalid
opened the inner door, took what was there, again closed
and locked it. When the dishes or other articles were
returned, the same process was observed, so that no one
could possibly catch a glimpse of him, nor need there be
any exchange of words. 'f Since Lord Chatham was at
* Baines, * Hampstead,' p. 50.
f Howitt, ' Northern Heights,' p. 90.
406 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Hampstead the house has been transformed by a later owner
and has had another story added, but the statesman's room
is still retained.
Near the summer-house at the top of the grounds a
murder was committed, more than a hundred years ago — at
least, so says tradition. One of the female servants of the
owner then living there is said to have been killed by the
butler. No record of this has at present been found, but
there are those who assert that the ghost of the murdered
woman still walks in the garden.* What more confirmation
could be required ?
Close by this thatched summer-house is an elm which still
goes by the name of the Gibbet-tree. Between this tree and
another there formerly stood a gibbet, on which was sus-
pended the body of Jackson, a knight of the road, for
murdering Henry Miller at this spot in 1673. His victim
was buried on March 20, 1673, and in the following year
was published 'Jackson's Recantation; or, The Life and
Death of the Notorious Highwayman, now hanging in
Chains at Hampstead, etc. ; wherein is truly discovered the
whole mystery of that wicked and fatal profession of padding
on the road.'t
One of the houses at North End, viz., Golder's Hill, was
the residence, till his death, of the celebrated surgeon, Sir
Spencer Wells, Bart. Parts of the mansion are very old,
but it has been altered and enlarged at various times. The
present imposing and modern appearance of the house is due
to some works carried out in 1875, when a new front was
added. The extensive grounds, of some 36 acres, have a
certain wildness of their own which make the estate one of
the most picturesque in the neighbourhood of London, and
in this respect they compare favourably with anything on
the Heath itself. The eminent landscape authority Mr.
Robinson, in describing the property, says :
* Places where the simple and essential conditions for beauty
* Howitt, ' Northern Heights,' p. 91.
t Park, ' Hampstead,' p. 305.
H AMP STEAD HEATH 407
in planting and design are understood or illustrated are far
too rare, and it is all the. more pleasing to meet with an
example of artistic treatment of a garden almost in London,
on the western border of Hampstead Heath.
' As. regards design and views it is the prettiest of town
gardens, and the conditions of its beauty are so simple that
there is little to be said about them. An open lawn there is,
rolling up to the house ; groups of fine trees and wide and
distant views over the country.
' A sunken fence separates the lawn from some park-like
meadows ; and beyond, the country north of London opens
up, without any building visible on either side or in the fore-
ground. From almost every other point of view these trees
form a picturesque group and afford a welcome shade in
summer. The whole of the front of the house, it must be
understood by those who have not the opportunity of seeing
the place, is an open lawn without any of the impedimenta
usual in such places.'*
The estate is plentifully supplied with water. Near the
mansion is an ornamental lake spanned by a rustic bridge.
At the farther end is another lake surrounded with sedge-
grass, furnishing a quiet haunt for the many moor-hens
whose shrieking notes are the only sounds heard. Close by
is a delightful valley, through which a trickling stream lazily
meanders. The wild beauty and picturesqueness of the scene
must appeal to every lover of Nature, and it is hard to realize
that the centre of smoky and noisy London lies only five
miles away.
On the death of Sir Spencer Wells the property was put
up for sale as a building estate, and was at once purchased
by Mr. Barrett on behalf of a committee who wished to secure
it as an addition to the Heath. This object was attained
with the aid of the municipal and local authorities, and the
possession of such an estate would be a matter for boasting
on the part of any city.
It is said by some that Golder's Hill was once the resi-
* W. Robinson, 'The English Flower-Garden,' 1896.
4o8 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
dence of the poet-physician Mark Akenside, the author of
'Pleasures of the Imagination.' His friend Dyson bought
a house for him at North End in the hopes that he might
create a medical practice among the many invalids who came
to Hampstead to drink the waters. But Akenside's manner
was not such as to inspire confidence, and after a short stay
of under two years he returned to town. If Akenside lived
here it must have been in the old and comparatively small
part of the modernized mansion.
This part of the heath also has its ancient inn, the Bull
and Bush, famous now chiefly for its good dinners and its
tea-gardens, which command extensive views of the surround-
ing counties. It is an old-fashioned tavern, and we can well
believe the tradition that it was once a farmhouse. It is
also sai-d to have been the country seat of Hogarth, who
planted the yew bower of the garden. Among other celebrities
who have visited it may be mentioned Addison, Gainsborough,
Sir Joshua Reynolds, Garrick, Sterne, Foote the comedian,
and Hone the antiquary.* It can be but little altered since
their time, and there is every prospect of its remaining a
•sylvan retreat for some time to come.
A neighbouring farmhouse was once the home of William
Blake, the imaginative artist and poet, and also of John
Linnell, another celebrated landscape artist. It is only
natural that the beauties of Hampstead should have
attracted many an artist. Clarkson Stanfield, the eminent
sea-painter, occupied a venerable house here ; but his presence
at Hampstead was not due to his desire to paint the sur-
rounding landscape, but rather to secure a quiet retreat.
Constable, who lived in Well Walk, and Linnell were both
essentially landscape painters, and they have treasured up
for us on canvas the scenes which were so dear to them.
The list of artists is a long one, and we can do no more
than mention such names as Romney, Morland, Haydon,
and Herbert, who either lived at or frequented Hampstead
in the pursuit of their art.
* Baines, ' Hampstead,' pp. 234, 235.
HAMP STEAD HEATH 409
Whitefield, the prince of preachers, found on Hampstead
' Heath an auditorium large enough to accommodate the vast
audiences he was accustomed to draw together. He thus
records his visit in his diary :
' May 17.— Preached, after several invitations thither, at
Hampstead Heath, about five miles from London. The
audience was of the politer sort, and I preached very near
the horse course, which gave me occasion to speak home to
their souls concerning our spiritual race. Most were attentive,
but some mocked.'*
The heath, like most places of the kind near London, was
once the resort of highwaymen. Dick Turpin is said to
have had a house at Hampstead ; and Claude Duval is
credited with a particular liking for the roads in the neigh-
bourhood of the heath. But one of the most curious facts
in connection with its history is that so late as the thirteenth
century it was infested with wolves, and was consequently
as dangerous to cross then as it was in comparatively recent
times because of the highwaymen. f
The elections for the county of Middlesex were held on
Hampstead Heath till the year 1700-1, when the first
announcement appears of their taking place at Brentford.
The following items of news, extracted from papers now
extinct, bear upon the subject :
' Yesterday was the election for the county of Middlesex
held at Hampstead Heath ; the candidates being Sir William
Roberts and Esquire Ranton, against Sir Francis Gerard and
Mr. Middleton.' — True Protestant Mercury, March 2-5, 1681.
' We hear now that Admiral Russell and Sir John
Worsnam stand candidates for Middlesex, against Sir
Charles Gerrard and Ralph Hanton, Esq. ; the election to
commence on Thursday sevennight upon Hampstead Heath.'
— Flying Post, October 19-22, 1695.
Besides being the scene of excitement at election times,
* Continuation of the Rev. Mr. Whitefield's 'Journal,' 1739, quoted in
Park's ' Hampstead,5 p. 239.
f Howitt, ' Northern Heights,' p. 45.
410 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
the heath was at one time famous for its horse-racing. The
course was on the west side of the heath, but in consequence
of the bad company attracted by the races, it was found
necessary to suppress them altogether,
' On Monday last (September 4, 1732) at the race run at
Hampstead Heath for ten guineas, three horses started ; one
was distanced the first heat, and one drawn ; Mr. Bullock's
Merry Gentleman won, but was obliged to go the course the
second heat alone.' — Daily Courant, September 6, 1732.
But though the races of Hampstead are things of the
past, the energy of the inhabitants has found a vent in
another institution, viz., the annual bonfire on November 5.
Under the auspices of the Hampstead Bonfire Club, the
memory of Guy Fawkes is preserved with becoming dignity,
and the procession which takes place on this occasion
is worthy of a Lord Mayor's Show. Some cynic has stated
that this is the result of the ' preposterous health of the in-
habitants,' but as a matter of fact, the proportion of residents
who attend the fire carnival is probably less than one in
twenty, and it is always a heavy day for the railway com-
panies. In addition to the piece de resistance, in the shape of
the huge bonfire lit near the Vale of Health, the programme
includes a mimic bombardment of Jack Straw's Castle and
a procession of cars illustrative of contemporary topics,
which parades the principal streets of Hampstead.
The trees on the heath will always remain as one of its
greatest attractions. Park gives an account of a remarkable
hollow elm at Hampstead, the position of which he was
unable to define. It had an entrance door cut out in the
bottom of the trunk, from which ascended a winding stair-
case to the top of the tree. At the top was an octagonal
turret to enable visitors to see the views across the surround-
ing country. There is a print of it (now exceedingly rare)
in the British Museum, dated 1653, which contains the
following description of the tree :
' i. The bottom above ground in compass is 28 foote.
2. The breadth of the doore is 2 foote.
HAMP STEAD HEATH 411
3. The compass of the turret on the top is 34 foote.
4. The doore in height to goe in is 6 foote 2 inches.
8. The height to the turret is 33 foote.
ii. The lights into the tree is (are) 16.
18. The stepps to goe up is 42.
19. The seat above the stepps six may sitt on, and round
about roome for foureteene more.
All the way you goe up within the hollow tree.'
Some copies of this print are embellished with verses by
Robert Codrington, who describes the tree with the aid of
a little poetic exaggeration. He also speaks of the prospect
from the top, which included ' smooth Richmond's streams
. . . Acton's mill . . . Windsor's castle . . . Shooter's Hill '
and groves and ' plains, which further off do stand.'*
Another poetic genius, Edward Coxe, of Hampstead
Heath, has also left some lines ' to commemorate the
preservation of the nine elms on Hampstead Heath.' The
poetry seems to point to Lord Erskine as the one who
would have cut down these trees with ' impious strokes '
and ' sacrilegious hand.'f
Before leaving Hampstead Heath it is only right to say a
word or two about the many so-called encroachments. It
must be borne in mind that the Lord of the Manor has a
perfect right with the consent of the homage to grant
parcels of the waste land of his manor. These tenements,
which were originally copyhold, i.e., held by copy of the
court roll, could then be enfranchised, and become the
absolute freehold of the parties who effected the enfranchise-
ment. It is in this way that the majority of the houses
have been built upon what was formerly part of the heath.
From 1608 to 1866 there were 450 such grants of the waste,
making a total in all of 83 acres I rood 21 poles.J The
usual fine paid for this was five shillings per rod. The Court
Rolls were burnt in 1684, and there was doubtless at this
time some uncertainty and confusion in the manor as to the
* Park, ' Hampstead,' pp. 33-37. t Ibid., pp. 40, 41.
\ From the Court Rolls.
4i2 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
copyhold titles. Probably some advantage was taken of this
to encroach on the waste. At all events, in 1686 several
unauthorized encroachments on the waste appear to have
existed, which the homage were ordered to survey, and as
a result several tenants were admitted as copyholders in the
following form : ' The homage present, upon their oaths,
that [A. B.] has incroached [ ] rods of land of the waste
ground of the lord of the manor ; but what estate he has or
by what rent due to the lord of the manor, whose land he
holds, the same is not stated, because nothing thereof remains
on the court rolls that they can find. The lord of the manor
nevertheless, at the request and humble petition of the afore-
said [A. B.], out of his generosity and benevolence towards
his tenants, then, by his steward aforesaid, did give licence
and liberty to the said [A. B.] to enclose the aforesaid [ ]
rods of the lord's waste ground and use the same for him-
self, etc.'
The tenants who were thus admitted were debarred from
rights of common, although the resolution is considered as
being ultra vires. ' No tenants of this manor who hold any
tenements or cottages by copy of court roll which have been
built upon the waste of this manor or who hold any parcels
of land . . . enclosed from off the waste of this manor have
any right of common in respect of such tenements , . . for
any cattle on Hampstead Heath.' *
* Court Rolls, May 28, 1759.
CHAPTER XXL
HAMPSTEAD HEATH EXTENSION, OR PARLIAMENT HILL.
THE lands known by this title comprise 267^ acres
in the parish of St. Pancras, and form, with
Hampstead Heath, an unbroken recreation-ground
larger than Regent's Park. We have dwelt at
some length upon the beauties of the surroundings, and
the range of views from Hampstead Heath, but to a very
great extent their enjoyment is dependent upon the openness
of the adjacent fields. Just for one moment imagine Parlia-
ment Hill to be in the hands of the builders. Those who
are acquainted with the site will remember that although
much of the ground is very high, yet a great portion of the
heath falls below the level of the adjacent land. This is
especially noticeable on the south-east side, which forms a
long narrow valley. What would be the outlook then from
these low-lying portions ? Instead of green fields, orna-
mented with hedgerow timber, the same bank of bricks
and mortar would raise its head as meets the eye looking
Londonwards. It is true that from the elevated Spaniards
Road the view towards the north could not be much marred,
but although it would still be open to the breeze, that breeze
would carry with it the smoke of a thousand chimneys. The
result, then, of building upon Parliament Hill would have
been to shut in Hampstead Heath to a very great extent,
and even that large area would appear comparatively
insignificant.
All this was foreseen by those ' who advocated the
4I4 OPEN SPACES OF LOXDON
acquisition of Hampstead Heath, and so, ever since 1857,
there has been a constant agitation to preserve, not only the
heath, but also the lands adjoining, which so much contri-
bute to its charm. Hampstead Heath had been used and
enjoyed for twelve years before any active steps were taken
to secure Parliament Hill fields as an addition to the heath.
Then, at a public meeting held in January, 1884, at the
Holly Bush Tavern, it was decided to appoint a committee
for the purpose of extending Hampstead Heath and pre-
serving Parliament Hill. This Hampstead Heath Extension
Committee was a most influential one ; among the lengthy
list of noblemen and others appeared such names as the
Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal Manning, and the
Marquis of Salisbury. The name of the chairman, the
Duke of Westminster, has been associated with more than
one movement of this kind, and too much cannot be said
in praise of the indefatigable vice-chairman, the Right Hon.
George Shaw-Lefevre, M.P., to whose individual efforts
much of the success of the undertaking was due. The
object of the committee was to acquire the land belonging
tc Sir Spencer Wilson, adjoining Hampstead Heath, known
-as the East Park Estate, and so much of the adjoining pro-
perty of the Earl of Mansfield as his lordship was willing
to sell to the public. The scheme was warmly supported
by the press, but great difficulty was experienced in obtaining
any definite price for the land to be acquired, so that when
the question of purchase was brought before the late Metro-
politan Board of Works, that body decided, in November,
1885, to take no further steps, because of the very large sum
which was asked for the land in question. Such a decision
would have crushed a less enthusiastic body than the Hamp-
stead Heath Extension Committee, but they pertinaciously
stuck to their guns, and set to work to obtain definite offers
from the owners of the lands, and also promises of pecuniary
assistance from large public bodies. When they appeared
before the late Board, in November, 1886, they had the
satisfaction of stating that they had succeeded in inducing
PARLIAMENT HILL 415
the owners of the Mansfield estate and Sir Spencer Wilson
to give an option of purchase of all those portions of their
estates which were necessary for carrying out the scheme,
the sums amounting in the aggregate to £"294,000, to which
had to be added various legal and other expenses, making
the total required about £305,000. But this was not all, for
they had obtained an Act of Parliament (Hampstead Heath
Enlargement Act, 1886) empowering the late Metropolitan
Board of Works to purchase the land, and authorizing a
contribution of £50,900 from the City Parochial Charity
Funds. This, together with promises from the vestries of
Hampstead and St. Pancras of £50,000, reduced the burden
to be thrown upon the ratepayers to about £200,000. These
facts considerably altered the case, and the question was
re-opened, and eventually, on October 14, 1887, the Board
resolved to contribute one half of the cost of acquiring the
land, such sum not to exceed £152,500. This still left a
sum of nearly £50,000 to be raised by public subscription,
and the committee were equal even to this emergency, and
the battle of Parliament Hill was won.
The actual cost of acquisition was £301,702, towards
which the Hampstead Vestry contributed £20,000, St.
Pancras £30,000, Marylebone £5,000, Charity Commis-
sioners £50,000, and public subscriptions £46,000, leaving a
balance of £150,702 to be provided from the rates. A small
addition of 2j acres was made in 1890 by the purchase
from the New River Company at a cost of £6,500 of the
disused reservoir in Highgate Road, which was about to be
built upon.
The viaduct which spans one of the ponds on Parliament
Hill is a standing reminder of the narrow escape which
Hampstead Heath had from being built over. It was
intended as part of a carriage-drive towards a house which
the Lord of the Manor contemplated erecting on the heath.
It is by no means an unpicturesque feature, as will be seen
by the illustration.
Parliament Hill, which had thus been rescued from the
4i6
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
grasp of the builder, forms a charming addition to the open
spaces of London. On entering from Gospel Oak Station,
we find ourselves in an extensive level area, which is devoted
to cricket and lawn tennis. On the left the ground gradually
rises to the summit of Parliament or Traitors' Hill, from which
commanding views of Hampstead Heath and Highgate are
obtained. Turning now in the direction of the ponds, we
have one of the finest views in the direction of Highgate.
View of Highgate in 1868 from Parliament Hill.
Standing on the high ground close to the southernmost pond,
we can look across a valley thickly studded with trees to the
graceful church of Highgate crowning the summit of the
hill. The eastern boundary, Millfield Lane, is still rural
enough to claim the designation of ' lane,' although much of
its charm has vanished. The next point to be visited is the
Tumulus, railed in and planted with firs, from which elevated
spot we can survey all the surrounding landscape — the chain
of ponds at our feet, to the north the dense Ken Wood, and
PARLIAMENT HILL 417
all around the undulating meadows, the very sight of which
fills us with fresh vigour. The land lying between the
Tumulus and the heath was used for brick-fields before
being acquired for public use, and it is needless to say how
great an improvement to the general surroundings the
abolition of these works has been. The rest of the land
undulates gently towards the elevated Spaniards Road,
when we are on the heath once more.
The East Park estate, purchased from Sir Spencer Wilson,
formed part of the demesne lands of the Manor of Hamp-
stead, the descent of which we have already traced.
The remainder, a part of the Ken (or Caen) Wood estates,
is in the parish of St. Pancras, and is part of the Manor of
Cantalowes. There are four manors described in the Dooms-
day Book as being in the parish of St. Pancras — Tottenhall,
Pancras (including land near the old church and round about
Somers Town), Ruggemere and Cantalowes. This last was
then the property of St. Paul's, the entry running as follows :
' The canons of St. Paul's hold four hides. There is land to
two ploughs. The villanes have one plough, and another
plough may be made. Wood for the hedges, pasture for the
cattle, and twenty pence rent. There are four villanes who
hold this land under the canons, and seven cottages. Its
whole value is forty shillings ; the same when received in
King Edward's time, sixty shillings. This land laid and lies
in the demesne of St. Paul's.'
The first change of owners occurs in 1108, when we find
that William Blemund gave to the monastic church of Holy
Trinity (now called Christ Church, Aldgate) ' his wood with
the heath-ground ... in the parish of St. Pancras.' This
gift was confirmed by a charter of the King in 1227, where
the property is described as being ' close to the park of the
Lord Bishop of London on the south side.'
At the time of the dissolution of the priory in 1531, the
land reverted to the King.
It remained as Crown property till 1544, when it was
granted, together with the ' Millfields,' to two private gentle-
27
4i8
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
men, who two years later sold their interest to Lord
Wrothesley. In 1588 it was in the possession of a Mr.
Woodruffe, who disposed of it to a Mr. Gardiner.
From 1590 to 1640 there is a break in the records. In
this latter year we find that Sir James Harrington, of Caen
Wood, had a child baptized in Hornsey Church. In 1660
Sir James sold the estate to a Mr. Bill, who held the patent
office of King's printer. Pepys records how that he and
Lady Bill were sponsors at a christening, and that good
dame, not liking her name, called herself Lady Pelham.
Caenwood or Kenwood House, High gate.
John Bill died in 1680, and directed that at the death of
his wife the estate should be sold.
In 1689 George Withers was in residence ; and some time
prior to 1698, William Bridges, Surveyor-General of the
Ordnance, who was buried in the Tower. Coming now to
the eighteenth century, we find that in 1718 the property
belonged to William Dale, an upholsterer, of St. Paul's,
Covent Garden, who bought it out of his gains in the South
Sea Bubble. He mortgaged it for £1,575 to the Earl of
Hay; but as he paid neither principal nor interest, the
PARLIAMENT HILL 419
estate was sold, and presumably the Duke of Argyle was
the purchaser, for he was in residence at Caen Wood in
1725. The Duke died in September, 1743, and bequeathed
Caen Wood to his nephew John, third Earl of Bute, ' as a
small consideration of the high esteem ' in which he held
him. Unfortunately the general public did not endorse this
opinion, for Lord Bute is only remembered now by the
extreme degree of public detestation in which he was held.
In 1755 Lord Bute sold Caen Wood to its most illustrious
possessor, the great Lord Mansfield, in whose family it has
remained ever since.*
Lord Mansfield, when plain Mr. Murray, before his
elevation to the peerage, was a frequent visitor to Hamp-
stead and Caen Wood.
' The Muses, since the birth of Time,
Have ever dwelt on heights sublime ;
On Pindus now they gathered flowers,
Now sported in Parnassian bowers ;
And late, when Murray deigned to rove
Beneath Ken Wood's sequestered grove,
They wander'd oft, when all was still,
With him and Pope on Hampstead Hill.'
Apart from these names, there are many other celebrities
to whom the spot has been familiar. Sir Walter Besant, in
making an eloquent appeal to the public for the preservation
of Parliament Hill, concluded : ' As for the modern associa-
tions of these fields, they are many and . . . well known.
They are shared with the recollections of Hampstead and
Highgate. Here wandered Keats, Shelley, Leigh Hunt and
Coleridge. Here in an earlier generation walked Addison,
Steele and Pope. Here lived Akenside and Johnson. There
is no end to the literary interest of Highgate and Hamp-
stead. But sacred associations will not save the fields.
Nothing will save them but money.'! Fortunately the
* The details of the descent of Caen Wood are an abstract of
J. H. Lloyd's * Caen Wood and its Associations.'
t Sir Walter Besant, 'Traitors' Hill/ Cornhill, vol. vi., p. 638.
27 — 2
42o OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
fields have been saved as well as the associations, and the
spots which have been honoured in the past by the presence
of these famous men will remain as open and free for future
generations.
Parliament Hill is made up of a series of hills and valleys,
and two of these eminences call for special remark, for around
them cluster the chief historical associations. The southern
one nearest to Gospel Oak is Parliament Hill proper, whilst
the northern, nearest to Ken Wood, is called the Tumulus.
It was once distinguishable by a fine clump of firs, which
have now gone, with the exception of two bare trunks, which
appear in the landscape like the shattered masts of a ship-
wrecked vessel.
We will deal with Parliament Hill first. Many are the
attempts which have been made to account for the singular
name it bears. The usually accepted theory is that this is
the spot where the cannon of the Parliamentary forces were
planted to defend London from the Royalists in that mighty
upheaval which brought Oliver Cromwell to the front.
Parliament Hill seems a very unlikely position to have been
chosen for such defence works, seeing that close by are more
commanding situations on Hampstead Heath and Highgate
Hill. But, apart from this, it would have been too far from
the Metropolis, and, so far as is known, the extreme posts
northward of the Parliamentary fortifications were at Islington
and Pentonville.*
Another more probable explanation is that the spot was
connected in some way with the Parliamentary elections for
the county, or possibly with some older form of Parliament,
such as the Hundred-moot or Folk-moot. These latter were
held in May and October. Professor Hales, in supporting
this explanation, says : ' The fact of there being a barrow on
the hill does not render the "moot" theory less probable,
but rather the opposite. Hills with barrows upon them, and
barrows themselves, were, in fact, often used as moots. The
hill assemblies seem to have been glad to avail themselves of
* Lloyd. ' Highgate.'
PARLIAMENT HILL 421
the reverence attached to such situations. The place where
the dead lay (even the dead of another race) was not likely
to be rudely disturbed.' *
But the eminence also bears another name, viz., that of
Traitors' Hill. This appellation may have been invented to
account for a tradition that lingers round the spot, but for
which there is no confirmation. It is to the effect that the
conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot took up their stand here
on November 5, 1605, to watch the blowing up of the Houses
of Parliament to be carried out by Guy Fawkes. But in all
probability, as soon as the plot was discovered, Catesby and
the rest of the conspirators were galloping away from
London, so that the theory of their calmly standing on
Parliament Hill on this eventful 5th of November must be
dismissed at once. Professor Hales suggests another and a
much more probable association of this hill with traitors, less
remembered, it is true, than the Gunpowder Plot conspirators,
but none the less traitors. They went by the name of the
' Fifth Monarchy men,' and were a Puritan sect who sup-
ported Cromwell's Government in the expectation that it
was a preparation for the ' Fifth Monarchy,' i.e., the monarchy
which should succeed the Assyrian, the Persian, the Grecian,
and the Roman, and during which Christ should reign for a
thousand years.f The leader of the sect was Thomas
Venner, a wine-cooper, who also preached at a conventicle
in Coleman Street.
On January 6, 1661, Venner and his crew issued forth on
their errand of taking London. 'They marched up and
down several streets, and killed one or two persons, then
" hastened to Cane Wood, between Highgate and Hampstead,
where they reposed themselves for the night." In fact, they
reposed three nights. On Wednesday the unhappy bigots
ventured into London again, and were in no long time finally
suppressed. A few days afterwards Venner and another (one
Hodgkins) were hanged, drawn, and quartered over against
* Professor Hales, Lecture on * Parliament Hill.'
f ' Encyclopaedia Britannica,' article ' Fifth Monarchy Men.'
422 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
the meeting-house from which they had marched forth in
their frenzy less than a fortnight before.'*
It should be mentioned that there is another ' Traitors'
Hill ' in the grounds of Lady Burdett-Coutts close by, which
forms a striking object from the western side of Highgate
Cemetery. But there is still another class of traitors who
may have given their name to either of these eminences. It
is said that they were the followers of Jack Cade, and some
authority is given to the tradition by the statement made by
Stow that Thomas Thorpe, Baron of the Exchequer, was
beheaded by the insurgents at Highgate. t
Shadowy as are the legends connected with Parliament
Hill, those associated with the northern eminence, the
Tumulus, or mound, are still more so. But tradition can
lead us out of most difficulties, and the reason handed down
for the raison d'etre of the Tumulus is as follows : At some
very remote time, so it is said, the inhabitants of the old
Roman town of Verulamium (St. Albans) were anxious to
make it the capital of this part of England. Finding London
a dangerous and growing rival, they set out to attack and
destroy it. But in this they were disappointed, for the
.Londoners met and defeated their enemies at this spot, and
buried their bodies in the mound which we now see so
jealously guarded to-day. J Sir Walter Besant asks: ' Was
such a thing ever possible ? It was once possible, within
certain limits of time — say during the first century before
Christ and the first half-century after. When Caesar invaded
Britain, internal war was prevailing through the aggressive
policy of Cassivelaunus, King of the Catuvelauni, and
especially between that tribe and the Trinobantes. Now,
the capital of King Cassivelaunus was the city of Verulam,
and one of the principal towns of the Trinobantes was
London. As the former folk held Western Middlesex and a
part of Hertfordshire, and the latter the rest of Middlesex
* Professor Hales, 'Parliament Hill.'
t Lloyd, ' Highgate.'
J Howitt, ' Northern Heights,' p. 330.
PARLIAMENT HILL
423
with Essex and part of Hertfordshire, the common frontier
was of great length. In the year 55 B.C., or shortly before
it, the Catuvelauni fought with and slew Imanuentms, the
Trinobantine King, and drove his son Mandubratius into
exile, and so far reduced and humbled the Trinobantes that
they threw themselves under Caesar's protection.'* With
Caesar's departure, the King of the St. Albans tribe became
The Tumulus, Parliament Hill, 1870.
as aggressive as before, and his action was imitated by his
successor. ' The memory of some battle in this long-raging
warfare may probably enough be preserved in the tradition
attached to the barrow7 still to be seen near Hampstead
Heath. One may well suppose that it was a battle of special
note and importance since it made so lasting an impression
* Sir Walter Besant, ' Traitors' Hill,' Cornhill (new series), vol. vi.,
P- 635-
424 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
on the popular mind, and we may very plausibly conjecture
that it was the very battle in which fell King Imanuentius
himself. Looking at the lie of the country from the southern
hill, we might suppose that the invaders had advanced from
the north through the dip between the Hampstead and
Highgate hills, and so entered the Valley of the Fleet, and
were making for London, when the Londoners, marching up
that valley, met them at this spot, and dyed the stream with
their own and their enemies' blood. Standing on the barrow,
and looking north, one may picture very well the rush of
those fiery Britons down the slopes, and the hand-to-hand
encounter in the valley.'* But the matter-of-fact nineteenth
century demands something more than these romantic stories,
and is always anxious to exchange fancy for fact. Learned
societies and scientific men generally had long been specu-
lating as to what the tumulus consisted of, and what it con-
tained, and pressure was brought to bear upon the London
County Council with a view to the mound being opened in
the interests of antiquarian research. It must be confessed,
however, that the neighbourhood of London is not a favour-
able one for conducting archaeological examinations of this
sort. The presence of an obtrusive public somewhat hampers
any operations, and the probability is that any prominent
tumuli would have been already rifled in the hope of obtain-
ing buried treasure. A popular belief was very much current
to the effect that the Tumulus was the burial-place of
Boadicea, Queen of the Iceni.
It was hoped that the opening of the Tumulus would set
at rest all the many rumours, and, nothing daunted by the
many difficulties in the way, the London County Council
decided to undertake the work. Mr. C. H. Read, F.S.A.,
a British Museum expert, most generously offered to super-
intend the opening, and he received great help from Mr.
George Payne, F.S.A., of Rochester, and one bleak day in
October, 1894, the work was commenced. As the operations
* Professor Hales in Athenaum^ November 17, 1883, and January 26,
1884.
PARLIAMENT HILL 425
evoked such general interest at the time, we cannot do better
than quote extensively from Mr. Read's report. He says :
1 This barrow lies on the northern slope of the hill,
immediately between the Vale of Health on the west and
Parliament Hill on the east. Its appearance before excava-
tion was that of a circular mound sloping gradually on the
north and south sides to a nearly level base, and entirely
surrounded by a ditch varying from 16 to 20 feet in width.
On the E.N.E. and W.S.W. sides a bank of earth was
thrown up, making a broad rib towards these two points,
extending to the ditch on either side. Upon the top of the
mound are standing the bare trunks of two fir-trees, all that
remain of a group that is said to have been planted about a
century ago, and was finally destroyed by lightning within
the last five-and-twenty years. An old hedge remains upon
the inner side of the ditch.
' The mound is not a true circle, the diameter being about
135 feet to the outside of the ditch from east to west, while
from north to south it is about 10 feec wider. The height
of the centre of the mound above the ground-level would be
about 10 feet.
' It is hard to say how the tradition connecting this mound
with Queen Boadicea came into being, but I have not been
able to find any other than modern mention of it. Traditions
of the kind are frequent enough, but they more commonly
attribute the erection of ancient mounds or encampments to
a race than associate them with any individual, though
instances of the latter are known also, such as Caesar's
Camp in the same parish as the barrowr. But all over
England are to be found Danes' camps and Danes' dykes ;
when the latter are examined they are usually found to
be of pre-Roman origin, and Danesbury Camp, near
Northampton, which has been recently explored, was proved,
by the numerous remains of weapons and implements, to
be without question an ancient British cemetery of perhaps
the first century B.C. It is scarcely necessary, however, to
bring forward evidence to prove that popular nomenclature
426 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
is seldom supported by historical facts. In the present
instance there is an obvious improbability in the popular
attribution of the barrow as the burial-place of the Queen
of the Iceni. After her overwhelming defeat by the Romans,
Boadicea is said by Tacitus to have put an end to her life
by poison, and Dion Cassius states that the Britons gave
her a sumptuous funeral. It is unfortunate that there were
no British writers to hand down their side of the question.
Whether Boadicea really poisoned herself, or whether it
only suited the Roman policy to say so, we shall probably
never know, nor does it much affect the present matter. The
statement of Dion Cassius is more important. Though he
wrote more than a century after Boadicea's death, it seems
unlikely that he would have expatiated upon the splendour
of her funeral rites without some kind of authority for the
statement. And the importance of his account lies in the
fact that, if any such ceremony took place, it would scarcely
have been in the immediate proxmity of London. It seems
obvious not only that the Romans would never have per-
mitted such a gathering of the Britons, but also that if the
Iceni wished to bury their Queen in a fitting manner, they
• would do so in their own country, and therefore if the tomb
of Queen Boadicea still exists, it must be looked for in Essex
or Suffolk, not on Hampstead Heath.'
The conclusions that this expert came to after a thorough
examination were :
' i. That it is without question an artificial mound, raised
at a spot where there was originally a slight rise in the
ground.
' 2. That a great quantity of additional material was
added to it, chiefly on the northern and eastern sides, and
probably within the last two centuries.
' 3. That the tumulus had not been opened before.
' 4. That it is very probably an ancient British burial
mound, of the early Bronze period, and therefore centuries
before the Christian era. The burial was probably by
inhumation, and the bones have entirely disappeared, a
PARLIAMENT HILL 427
circumstance by no means uncommon. In this interpreta-
tion of the evidence my opinion is supported by that of
Canon Greenwell, whose lengthened experience of these
burials enables him to speak with an authority beyond
question upon this point.'
The examination of the Tumulus was followed with some
superciliousness by Celtic scholars, who are agreed that
Queen Boadicea was buried in North Wales, and not near
London. One of their number, the Archdruid Morien, the
author of ' The Light of Britannia ' (a work dealing exhaus-
tively with the religious philosophy of the ancient British
Druid bards and their symbols) contributed the following
letter to the press at the time the Tumulus was opened :
'SiR,
' I have just visited the alleged grave mound of Queen
Boadicea on the summit of Parliament Hill, and, after a
careful inspection, I have come to the conclusion that it is
not a tumulus at all, but one of those structures which the
ancient Druids called a " Gwyddva " (dd as th in "then ").
' A " Gwyddva " signifies literally the Presence Place,
meaning in ancient British a tribunal or pulpit, from the
summit of which the officiating Druidic priest offered up
prayer, and on which he also performed certain ritual practices
" in the face of the sun and in the focus of light."
' The mound on Parliament Hill is one of the Llans or
High Places of the British Druids.
' The Druids, like all ancient peoples, believed the earth
resembled an island in shape, and standing out of the sea,
and that its verge, or border, was where earth and the
rational horizon were supposed to meet. Bees were sacred
in the eyes of the Druids, and for that reason the beehives
of the old straw pattern were constructed after the pattern
of each of the Druidic Holy Hills. Homer, in his description
of the shield of Achilles, which is a symbol of the round
half of the world of the ancients, states that when the
shield was completed " He poured the ocean round." Re-
428 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
ferring to the surface of shields as a mirror symbolical of
the reflection of the wisdom of the Creator, as shown on
the material earth, Homer states, " There shone the image
of the Master Mind!"
' In the eyes of the Druids every island of the sea was a
world. Thus Britain itself was a world.
' Now, each of the mounds like that on the summit of
Parliament Hill was a model of the shape of the whole
earth as understood by the Druids. Running around the
base of the mound on Parliament Hill are traces of a deep
trench. The trench must have been deep in ancient times,
for it is still a striking feature, though now carpeted with
verdure. That trench was formerly full of water, like the
similar one around Avebury, Wilts, a mile in circumference.
The mound symbolized the whole earth, and the trench full
of water around it the sea encircling the earth. By the
officiating Druid standing on the apex of the mound and
engaging in prayer it was implied that he stood on the top
of the whole earth, and that therefore he literally was nigh
unto God.
' The mound bore several characters :
. ' i. As the whole earth, it was the Church, and to this
day the enclosure of a church is called Close, which is
obviously derived from the ancient British " Clas " (island).
' 2. The mound was also the symbol of the earth as the
garden of the sun (Adonidis Hortus).
'3. The earth as a cemetery. It was Mynydd-y-Marw,
otherwise Mount Meru — that is to say, Mound of the Dead.
There is some mysterious connection between this name and
the name Mount Moriah, which I am inclined to believe was
anciently spelt Morsjah. »
' 4. Each of those sacred British mounds being the
sanctuary — the Llan and Holy Hill — it was the spot where
each Act of the British Legislature, called " Rhaith " by our
British ancestors, was ratified and sanctioned in the presence,
as it were, of the Almighty Himself, " in the face of the Sun
and in the focus of light " of the Holy Hill.
PARLIAMENT HILL 429
' We thus see why the hill of the London mound is still
called " Parliament Hill."
' It is profoundly interesting to recollect that in one spot
within the British dominions, viz., the Isle of Man, the old
custom of assembling around a mound to give sanction to
legislative work is still duly observed on each July 5.
'The Sacred Mound in the centre of the Isle of Man is
called " Tynwald," which is a corruption of the old British
Twyn-y-Wlad, meaning " the Holy Hill of the Country."
On July 5 the Governor of the Isle of Man and the
members of the House of Keys proceed from Douglas, and
partake of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper in the pretty
church of St. John, near the " Tynwald." Meanwhile the
Manx people encircle the mound. Then the Governor
ascends to the summit of the Holy Hill of the Country, and
the M.P.'s of the island sit on the slopes, and the Governor
reads the various Acts newly passed by the local Parliament,
called the House of Keys; and the people express approval
and willingness to obey the said Acts of the Legislature.
That approval of the people has the force of the sign manual
of the Sovereign, Queen Victoria.
' There is not the least doubt similar scenes were often
witnessed in distant ages on the summit and around the
mound on " Parliament Hill."
* I am, etc.,
' MORIEN, THE DRUID.'
'ASHGROVE, TREFOREST, GLAM.'
Although this systematic search in opening the Tumulus
did not result in bringing to light any hidden treasure, as it
was thought by many that it might, a most remarkable
discovery of treasure-trove was made on July 21, 1892. A
little boy, aged three years, was amusing himself in turning
over the mole-heaps in the neighbourhood of the Tumulus
with a wooden spade and pail, when he came across a bright
article which aroused the attention of those who were with
him. The digging was continued for a depth of some
7 or 8 inches, with the result that several gilt articles of
430
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
solid silver and beautiful workmanship were unearthed and
taken home. The father of the little fellow, Mr. Haynes—
himself an experienced traveller and explorer, and the donor
of some valuable foreign curiosities to the South Kensington
Museum — acting upon legal advice, gave information to the
district coroner, for, in accordance with a law passed in the
reign of Edward I., an inquiry has to be held upon all
articles thus discovered. The formal coroner's inquiry having
been held, it was proved that the objects had been found as
Sheep on Parliament Hill.
stated, and constituted treasure-trove, and they were con-
sequently handed over to the Treasury, who have deposited
them in the South Kensington Museum, where they are
now on view. They consist of two spirit or scent flasks
with screw tops, a small flat cup with handles, two sockets
and nozzles of candlesticks, and one small portion, probably
the handle of a cup or a portion of a candelabrum, the weight
of the whole being 59 ounces.*
* Chambers' Journal, 1893.
PARLIAMENT HILL 431
The district at the extreme south-east of Parliament Hill
is called Gospel Oak, and takes its name from an oak which
is shown on the plan in Park's ' Hampstead.' This was
situated at the boundary-line of Hampstead and St. Pancras
parishes, and its name serves as a relic of the times when it
was usual to read a portion of the Gospels under certain
trees in the parish perambulations, equivalent to ' beating
the bounds.'* This was done every Ascension Day, and
Herrick alludes to the custom in connection with a ' gospel-
tree ' in the following lines :
' Dearest, bury me
Under that holy oak, or gospel-tree,
Where, though thou see'st not, thou mayst think upon
Me when thou yearly go'st in procession.'f
An ancient mill is once said to have crowned the summit
of Parliament Hill, and so gave rise to the name of the
adjoining Millneld Lane. The mill is mentioned in a
description of the Caen Wood estate in 1660 : ' 280 acres of
land well covered with large timber, and is set out as a
capital messuage of brick, wood, and plaster, eight cottages,
a farmhouse and windmill, fishponds, etc.'J Millfield Lane
was formerly a delightful country retreat which abounded
with hedgerow timber, but it is losing some of its rustic
charm. Leigh Hunt, who knew it well, says : ' It was in
the beautiful lane running from the road between Hampstead
and Highgate to the foot of Highgate Hill that, meeting me
one day, he (Keats) first gave me the volume (of his poems).
If the admirer of Mr. Keats' poetry does not know the lane
in question, he ought to become acquainted with it, both on
his author's account and its own. It has been also paced by
Mr. Lamb and Mr. Hazlitt, and frequented like the rest of
the beautiful neighbourhood by Mr. Coleridge, so that instead
of Millfield Lane, which is the name it is known by on earth,
it has sometimes been called Poets' Lane, which is an appel-
lation it richly deserves. It divides the grounds of Lords
* Larwood, ' History of Signboards. f Herrick, ' Hesperides.5
% J. H. Lloyd, 'Caen Wood and its Associations.'
432 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Mansfield and Southampton, running through trees and
sloping meadows, and being rich in the botany for which
this part of the neighbourhood of London has always been
celebrated.'*
Charles Mathews the elder lived in Millfield Lane. His
residence, which he called Ivy Cottage, has been enlarged
by succeeding proprietors, and is now called Brookfield
House. It is very easily distinguished as the many-gabled
house opposite the southernmost of the ponds. Mathews
was born in 1776 at No. 18, in the Strand, where his father
Charles Mathews' s House, adjoining Parliament Hill.
was a theological bookseller. He commenced acting at an
early age, although he acquired no special reputation till
1803, but his name is inseparably linked with his ' At Home '
entertainment, which he inaugurated in 1818. His mimicry
and general versatility made him a great favourite. It is
said that the bleak situation of his house, and the consequent
force of the wind, which used to beat upon it very violently,
much alarmed Mrs. Mathews. One night, after they had
retired to rest, she was awakened by one of these sudden
* Leigh Hunt, ' Byron and his Contemporaries.' Quoted by Thorne.
PARLIAMENT HILL 433
gales, which she bore for some time in silence ; at last,
dreadfully frightened, she awoke her husband, saying :
* Don't you hear the wind, Charley ? Oh dear ! what shall
I do ?' ' Do ?' said the only partially-awakened humorist.
* Open the window and give it a peppermint lozenge ; that
is the best thing for the wind.' His humour did not desert
him on his death-bed. His medical attendant had given
him some ink from a phial which stood in the place of the
medicine bottle, and on discovering his error he cried out :
'Good heavens, Mathews ! I have given you ink!' 'Never
— ne-ver mind, my boy, ne-ver mind,' said the mimic ; ' I'll
—I'll swallow— bit — bit — of blotting paper.'* Ivy Cottage
contained a set of apartments devoted to the fine collection
of theatrical portraits, autographs, and engravings, which are
now in the possession of the Garrick Club. But the house also
contained other interesting treasures ; among them was the
casket, made from the wood of Shakespeare's mulberry-tree
at Stratford-on-Avon, in which the freedom of- that town
was presented to Garrick in 1769, on the occasion of his
jubilee.f
The next house to Ivy Cottage on the same side, called
Millfield Cottage, is said to have been occupied for a short
time by John Ruskin. He was consulted on the point, but
he does not recollect anything further than that he lived
with his father and mother when a child either at Hamp-
stead or Highgate.J
The estate on the right-hand side of Millfield Lane,
known as Fitzroy Park, was the seat of Lord Southampton.
Fitzroy House, a large square brick building, with capacious
and finely-proportioned rooms, was erected about the year
1780. The grounds were tastefully laid out with gravel
walks and carriage-drives, shaded by well-grown trees.
The Earl of Buckingham resided here in 1811, but in 1828
the mansion-house was taken down, and the estate sub-
* Palmer, 'History of St. Pancras.'
f 'Old and New London,' vol. v., p. 411.
J Howitt, ' Northern Heights,' p. 418.
28
434 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
divided into several plots upon which villas were built.* In
one of these villas lived Dr. Southwood Smith, the popular
physician, author of ' The Philosophy of Health. 't In 1837
Dr. Smith was appointed by the Government to inquire into
the state of the poor, with a view to see how far disease and
misery were produced by unhealthy dwellings and habits. His
inquiries led to the passing of the Act for procuring improved
drainage, and ultimately to the establishment of the Public
Board of Health, of which he became a leading member.^
He was also Physician to the London Fever Hospital,
and compiled a treatise on fever, which became a standard
medical work. He died in Florence in December, 1861.
Parliament Hill has its chain of ponds as well as Hamp-
stead Heath. They are five in number, two of which are on
Lord Mansfield's property. William Paterson, the founder
of the Bank of England, and the originator of the ill-fated
Darien scheme for the formation of a canal across the
isthmus of Panama, conceived the plan of collecting the
springs of Caen Wood into ponds and reservoirs. His
company was established in 1690 for the supply of water to
Hampstead and Kentish Town, and was a great success till
the competition of the New River Company drove it from
the field. § The New River, it will be remembered, had
been brought to London in 1614, but it was not a popular
undertaking, so that there was room for some time for this
younger company which has now gone. The ponds still
remain, and a great delight they are to many, especially in
a severe winter, when they afford excellent skating. This
is kept up till a late hour with the aid of torches and
Japanese lanterns, and the ponds present a very active and
picturesque scene with their thousands of skaters whirling
round and round in the crisp night air. But all the year
round they are available for fishing, model yacht sailing,
* Prickett, ' Highgate,' p. 79.
f Thorne, ' Environs of London/ vol. i., p. 354.
I Quoted in Hewitt's * Northern Heights,' p. 325.
§ Howitt, ' Northern Heights,' pp. 330, 331.
PARLIAMENT HILL 435
and bathing unless they are frozen over, and even this does
not prevent some enthusiasts from breaking the ice to have
their morning dip. At one time, it is said, long before
Izaak Walton breathed, the saintly monks who lived on the
Ken Wood estate formed the fresh running waters of the
Fleet into reservoirs for the breeding of fish, and thus
originated the ponds. The fasts of the Church were very
numerous, and the supply of salt fish was very limited
owing to the difficulties of transit. These ponds well
stocked with fresh fish would thus form a valuable posses-
sion to any monastery.*
Both Parliament Hill and Hampstead Heath were brought
considerably nearer to many Londoners by the erection of
a footbridge over the line of the North London Railway at
Gospel Oak in December, 1895. The bridge is of steel, with
blue Staffordshire brick, and cost -£ 2,400, while the approach
road from Gospel Oak was formed for half that amount.
By means of the bridge a rapidly-growing district has now
been directly connected with Parliament Hill, to reach which
it was formerly necessary to walk a distance of nearly a mile.
* Lloyd, ' Caen Wood and its Associations/ p. 27.
28—2
CHAPTER XXII.
HIGHBURY FIELDS.
HIGHBURY FIELDS, 27^ acres in extent, are
situated at the junction of Holloway Road and
Upper Street, Islington. They were acquired in
1885 at a cost of £60,000, half of which was con-
tributed by the Vestry of Islington. The area of the original
fields was 25^ acres, but a subsequent addition of 2 acres at
the extreme north brought the acreage up to its present
extent. Under the Act of Parliament by which the purchase
was authorized, the playing of music and public meetings
were prohibited on the original ground, but no restrictions
are attached to the small extension, where band performances
are given in the summer. Lawn tennis is extensively played
here, and cricket in the early morning is allowed on the
lowrer field. Although the fields are enclosed at night time,
they are not laid out as a park, for apart from a shrubbery
at the margin, and gravelled walks, the area is left as a
grass surface. Before the fields were purchased by the late
Metropolitan Board of Works, the Great Northern Railway
bought the land through which the tunnel passes, which
carries their line from Finsbury Park to Canonbury. The
surface was then leased by them to the late owner for
999 years from 1876, at an annual rent of £30. This
liability was taken over when the fields were acquired for
public use, but with this exception the land is freehold.
Highbury Fields are situated in the parish of Islington,
which till almost a recent period was a district of open
fields and fertile meadows, where cows were grazed to afford
HIGHBURY FIELDS 437
the milk-supply for the Metropolis. The fields of Islington
were the favourite resort of Londoners who came here to
drink milk warm from the cow, and to eat cakes dipped in
cream and other dairy delicacies. Lord Macaulay, speaking
of the state of London towards the close of the reign of
Charles II., remarks that ' on the north, cattle and sports-
men wandered with dogs and guns over the site of the
borough of Marylebone, and over far the greater part of the
space now covered by the boroughs of Finsbury and of the
Tower Hamlets. Islington was almost a solitude, and poets
loved to contrast its silence and repose with the din and
turmoil of the monster London.'* At the beginning of the
same reign these fields for a short time presented a very
different aspect, when the poor of London at the time of
the Great Fire were flocking here in thousands from the
burning city. Evelyn describest very graphically how ' the
poore inhabitants were dispersed about St. George's Fields
and Moor Fields, as far as Highgate, and several miles in
circle, some under tents, some under miserable huts and
hovels, many without a rag, or any necessary utensils, bed
or board, who from delicatenesse, riches, and early accom-
modations in stately and well-furnished houses, were now
reduced to extremest misery and poverty.' There were
some ' 200,000 people of all ranks and degrees, dispersed
and lying along by their heapes of what they could save
from the fire, deploring their losses, and though ready to
perish for hunger and destitution, yet not asking one penny
for relief.'
The district now known as Highbury was originally a
part of Newington. The first mention of Highbury is in
the year 1444 in a book which contains the names of the
donors to the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem. In it is the
following entry : ' Domina Alicia de Barowe dedit dominium
totum de Highbury et Newton, cum pertinentiis.'J This name
* ' History of England,' 8vo., 1849, pp. 349, 350.
f Evelyn's ' Diary,' September 5, 1666.
\ Quoted in Tomlins' ' Perambulations of Islington,' p. 197.
438 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
of Highbury was at first confined to the immediate vicinity
of Highbury (Manor) House, so that the title Highbury
Fields is strictly correct. Afterwards the district of High-
bury comprised places further distant, which before were
simply called land in Islington.
The probable meaning of the word Highbury is ' high
barrow,' and points to the fact that in early times the
eminence upon which Highbury Fields stand was used as a
place of defence. The ancient moat which formerly sur-
rounded Highbury House may have been the remains of an
earlier means of defence — in fact, a part of a Roman encamp-
ment, for the word ' barrow ' suggests some earthwork
thrown up either for defence, or for the burial of the slain.
From a mezzotint engraving of Highbury Place published in
1787, Highbury Hill seems to have been abrupt and steep on
the north and north-west, and to have been artificially
rounded or shaped, which work may consistently be attri-
buted to the Romans.*
The Roman occupation of Highbury Fields must mainly
rest upon conjecture, but another encampment here is well
authenticated. During Wat Tyler's insurrection (1381) a
detachment of the rebels under Jack Straw, after burning
and destroying the magnificent priory in St. John's Street,
proceeded for a similar purpose to the Prior's country-house
at Highbury. According to Holinshed, the band of insur-
gents ' who tooke in hand to ruinate that house ' was
estimated at 20,000. They carried their plan of devastation
into complete effect, pulling down by main force those parts
of the building which withstood the attacks of the devouring
element. This destructive mob, then, must have occupied
the site of our present Highbury Fields, and very unwelcome
visitors they were.f This incident accounts for the old name
of Highbury House, viz., Jack Straw's Castle — identical with
that of the well-known tavern at Hampstead Heath. The
moat surrounding the house, over which the insurgents
* Tomlins, 'Perambulations of Islington,' p. 176.
t Brewer, ' History of London and Middlesex,' vol. iv., p. 235.
HIGHBURY FIELDS 439
passed, was filled in in 1855 ; and, popular as the fields now
are, it is extremely unlikely that they will ever see such a
crowd as this again.
The site of Highbury Fields, which is shown in old maps
as Mother Field, was alienated from the Manor of Highbury
about 1780, when Sir George Colebrooke, the Lord of the
Manor, sold the old mansion called Highbury House or
Castle, together with these adjoining lands, to John Dawes,
from whose descendant they were purchased as a recreation-
ground. The earliest owner of the manor that can be traced
is Bertram of the Barrow, the ancestor of the Lady Alice
who gave the manor to the Hospital or Priory of St. John of
Jerusalem. Upon the dissolution of the monasteries the
manor was given, or intended to be given, to Thomas Crom-
well, Earl of Essex, but before he could enter into possession
he was attainted, and his estates were forfeited to the Crown.
Without going into details of the various leases granted by
the Crown, it may be stated that the manor was settled on
the Lady Mary (afterwards Queen) before the death of
Edward VI., and remained as Crown property till the reign
of James I., who bestowed the manor on his eldest son. He
died in 1612, and the manor once more reverted to the
Crown till James I. granted it to his son Charles, who, after
he came to the throne, bestowed it, in 1629, on Sir Allan
Apsley. By subsequent stages it was sold, in 1630, to
Thomas Austen, from whom it descended to Sir John Austen,
Bart., and then, in 1723, it was sold to James Colebrooke,
the ancestor of Sir George Colebrooke, Bart., the banker
who sold the portion of the manor in which we are interested
to John Dawes, as we have before mentioned.*
This owner, who was a wealthy stockbroker, proceeded, in
1781, to erect a handsome house on the moated site where
the Prior's mansion had formerly stood. When the work-
men were preparing to lay the foundations of the house, they
discovered a number of pipes made of baked red earth,
resembling those used for the conveyance of water about the
* Nelson, ' Islington,' pp. 133, 134.
440 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
time of Queen Elizabeth. There were also some tiles, said
to be Roman, but which were more probably of Norman
manufacture.* The house, which had cost Mr. Dawes
nearly £10,000 to build, was sold upon his death in 1788, for
£5,400, to William Devaynes, M.P., and a director of the
East India Company. He in turn sold it to a celebrated
Highbury gentleman, Mr. Alexander Aubert, F.R.S., who
spent a considerable sum in altering and improving the
estate. He also erected a large observatory near the house,
in the arrangement of which he was assisted by his friend
John Smeaton, the eminent engineer whose name will always
be remembered in connection with the Eddystone lighthouse.
Aubert was always a good friend to Smeaton, and did a great
deal towards advancing him in his profession. He also
revised and corrected for publication the account of the
building of the Eddystone. When the ' Loyal Islington
Volunteers ' were established, in 1792, mainly through the
efforts of Mr. Aubert, he was appointed their chief officer, so
that he was distinguished alike in the ranks of peace and
war. Upon his death, in 1805, the house and grounds
were put up to auction in 1806, and were purchased by a
Mr. Bentley.f
Highbury Fields are particularly fortunate in being sur-
rounded with substantial and well-built houses. At the
beginning of this century Highbury Place was described as
being one of the finest rows of houses in the environs of the
Metropolis, inhabited by eminent merchants and other
persons of opulence. J The thirty-nine houses comprising
this row are built on land the property of Mr. Dawes, from
whom Highbury Fields were bought. Leases were granted
by him during the years 1774 to 1779 to Mr. John Spiller,
by whom the present houses were erected. In addition to
the large gardens behind, they had allotments in the
meadow ground in front, now Highbury Fields. Before
* Ellis, ' Campagna of London : Islington,' p. 89.
t Nelson, ' Islington,' pp. 139, 140.
'I Nelson, ' History of Islington,' i8ir, p. 175.
HIGHBURY FIELDS
441
Highbury Place was built there existed in the lower field,
opposite to what is now No. 14, a conduit for supplying the
City with water. Hence, in ancient maps of the district we
find this field called the ' Conduit field ' ; and Camden, in
1695, speaks of ' an old stone conduit ' situated between
' Islington and Jack Straw's Castle.' It must have been
more than 200 years old when he wrote, for it was
Highbury Terrace, Islington, 1835.
made as part of a scheme of Sir William Eastfield, Lord
Mayor in 1438, who ' caused water to be conveyed from
Highberry, in pipes of lead, to the parish of St. Giles without
Cripplegate, where the inhabitants of those parts incastellated
the same in sufficient cisternes.'*
The question of London's water-supply is one that engrosses
a considerable amount of attention at the present day, and
fresh sources are being eagerly sought after. We can imagine,
* Stow, ' Survey,' quoted in Nelson.
442 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
then, the importance attached to these springs in the north
of London, especially when it is remembered that the New
River had not at this time been brought to the Metropolis.
It was customary for the citizens to visit the conduit-heads,
a duty which was made very pleasant by reason of the feast-
ing, which was paid for out of the City purse. There were
also other attractions, described in an account of one of these
visits by Strype. On September 18, 1562, ' the Lord Mayor,
Aldermen, and many worshipful persons, rode to the conduit-
heads to see them, according to the old custom : then they
went arid hunted a hare before dinner, and killed her ; and
thence went to dinner at the head of the conduit, where a
great number were handsomely entertained by the Chamber-
lain. After dinner they went to hunt the fox. There was a
great cry for a mile, and at length the hounds killed him at
the end of St. Giles's, with great hollowing and blowing of
horns at his death ; and thence the Lord Mayor, with all his
company, rode through London to his place in Lombard
Street.' The supply from these conduits was at best scanty,
and the water had either to be fetched from them, or else
water-carriers had to be paid to bring it. The vessels they
-carried the water in were called tankards, and held about
3 gallons. The last instance that is recorded of their actual
use is connected with Highbury, by a servant of James Cole-
brooke, the Lord of the Manor, whose business in town was
carried on at a house behind the Royal Exchange.*
When the conduit-house was removed, the spring was
arched over with brick, and its site marked by an upright
stone. Before Highbury Place was built the conduit re-
mained open as a watering-place for cattle, and afterwards
it supplied these houses with water by means of pipes, which
were connected with wells or reservoirs behind the houses.
In 1692 an official report was made to a special committee
of the Corporation, which fully describes the route by which
the water was conveyed from the conduit in Highbury
Fields to Cripplegate. It runs as follows : ' And we have
* Nelson, ' Islington,' p. 149.
HIGHBURY FIELDS 443
also . . . viewed the springs and water belonging to the
Citty neare Islington ; and find the same in two heads, one
covered over with stone, in a field neare Jack Straw's Castle,
which is fed by sundry springs in an adjacent field, and is
usually called the White Conduit, the water whereof is
conveyed from thence, in a pipe of lead, through Chambery*
Park, to the other conduit in Chambery-field ; and from
thence the water of both the said heads so united is con-
veyed, in a pipe of lead, cross the New River, in a cant, into
the Green Man fields, and entering from thence a garden
... at about forty foot distance from Frogg-lane, into a
field on the east side thereof; and from thence, cross the
North-east corner of a garden at the hither end of Frogg-
lane, into a field belonging to the company of Clothworkers ;
and from thence, through the field next to, and west of the
footway from Islington, unto the stile by the Pest-house,
where it crosseth the said way, and so along the east side
thereof, cross the road at Old-street, and under the bridge
there, into Bunnhill-fields ; and from thence, on the west
side of the said field, by the Artillery garden, crossing Chis-
well-street, into and down the middle of Grubb-street, into
Fore-street, and so on the south side thereof to the conduit
at Cripplegate : and we cannot find that the said waters are
employed to any other use than to the service of the said
conduit. 't
All traces of the conduit have now been removed, and
there is nothing to denote the site of this ancient landmark,
dating back to the fifteenth century.
When the houses in Highbury Place were first built, there
was considerable difficulty in letting them, and the first
tenants of Nos. 2 to 8 had leases granted at from £34 to
£36 per annum ; their present value is quite three times
this sum. At No. 38 lived for a good many years Abraham
Newland, chief cashier of the Bank of England, whose signa-
ture was as well known as that of F. May in recent years.
The son of a baker of Southwark, he was born in 1730, and
* Canonbury. t Ellis, ' History of Shoreditch.'
444 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
at the age of eighteen was appointed a clerk in the Bank
of England, from which position he rose by successive
gradations to be chief cashier after thirty-four years' service.
He was a most conscientious official, and for twenty-five
years he never slept a single night out of the Bank. It was
his custom to come to Highbury Place in his carriage after
dinner, and take tea with his housekeeper ; then to go for
a short walk in these fields, and afterwards return to the
Bank to sleep. Mr. Newland resigned in 1807, owing to
the infirmities of old age, and died in the same year. He
was buried at the Church of St. Saviour, Southwark.* His
name was popularized in a successful song of the day, from
the pen of Charles Dibdin junior, manager of Sadler's Wells
Theatre :
' There ne'er was a name so bandied by fame,
Thro' air, thro' ocean, and thro' land,
As one that is wrote upon every bank-note,
You all must know Abraham Newland.
Oh ! Abraham Newland,
Notified Abraham Newland !
I've heard people say, " sham Abraham " you may,
But you mustn't sham Abraham Newland.'
Perhaps the best of the other verses is this :
' The world is inclin'd to think Justice is blind,
But lawyers know well she can view land ;
But, Lord, what of that — she'll blink like a bat,
At the sight of an Abraham Newland !
Oh ! Abraham Newland,
Magical Abraham Newland !
Tho' Justice, 'tis known, can see through a mill-stone,
She can't see through Abraham Newland.'
Another celebrated resident at Highbury Place was John
Nichols, the historian of Canonbury, and for nearly fifty
years editor of the Gentleman's Magazine. He was a partner
of William Bowyer, the celebrated printer. He was a friend
of Dr. Johnson, and seems to have been an amiable and
* Nelson, ' Islington,' pp. 176-180.
HIGHBURY FIELDS 445
industrious man, very popular with his friends. He died
suddenly in 1826, while going upstairs to bed.
On the opposite side of \vhat is now Highbury Place, and
just to the north of Highbury Fields, was the large barn or
farm attached to the manor-house. This gave way to a small
ale-house, which in course of time developed into a tavern
with tea-gardens attached. The Court Baron for the manor
used to be held here, and when the business outgrew the
limits of the original building, a large barn belonging to
the adjoining farm was added to the premises, and so it
legitimately received the name of Highbury Barn, which
hitherto it could only take as being on the site of an ancient
barn.* Under the proprietorship of Mr. Willoughby, who
died in 1785, the tavern prospered exceedingly, and his son
made extensive additions to the grounds in order to accom-
modate the numbers attracted to Highbury. A dinner has
been served here for 800 persons, on which occasion upwards
of seventy geese might have been seen roasting at one fire.
The tavern was afterwards provided with a theatre and a
dancing-room, and all the attractions of a modern Vauxhall
Gardens.
A remarkable society, known as the Highbury Society,
used to meet here in years past. It was a friendly association
of Protestant Dissenters, who combined together at a time
when the privileges of that body were greatly endangered by
a Schism Bill, which was directly levelled against all Non-
conformists. Queen Anne died on the day on which this
Act was to have received the royal sanction, in celebration of
which event this society was formed. The meetings were first
held at Copenhagen House, but from 1740 onwards High-
bury was the place of rendezvous. From a short account
of the society, published in 1808, we gather the following
particulars regarding their meetings. It appears that the
party, who walked from London, after a short stop at
Moorfields, proceeded to Highbury, and, to beguile the way,
it was their custom to bowl a ball of ivory in turn at objects
* Nelson, ' Islington,' p. 155.
446 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
in their path. After a slight refreshment they repaired to
the field for exercise ; but in those days of greater economy
and simplicity, neither wine, punch, nor tea were intro-
duced, and eightpence was generally the whole individual
expense incurred. A particular game called hop-ball formed
the recreation of the members of this society at their meet-
ings. On the board (dated 1734) used for the purpose of
marking the game, the following motto was engraved : ' Play
justly, play moderately, play cheerfully; so shall ye play to
a rational purpose.' The principal toast at their annual
dinner in August was : ' The glorious first of August, with
the immortal memory of King William and his good Queen
Mary, not forgetting Corporal John ; and a fig for the
Bishop of Cork, that bottle-stopper.' How this toast
originated is not known, but it probably arose out of some
of the events which led to the formation of the society.
John, Duke of Marlborough, the great friend of the Protes-
tant and Whig interest, was in all probability the ' Corporal
John ' of the toast. In the winter time the members used
to dine together weekly on Saturday, from November to
March.* The Highbury Society, with its dinners and other
oddities, is no more, as it was dissolved about the year 1833.
Highbury Barn was finally closed in 1871, in consequence
of the repeated refusal of the license, owing to the riotous
behaviour of many of the night visitors. In 1883 the greater
part of the site was covered with buildings, and a large
public-house, the Highbury Tavern (No. 26, Highbury
Park), alone commemorates this once popular place of
amusement. t
* From a ' Report of the Committee on the Rise and Progress of the
Highbury Society,' printed 1808.
| W. Wroth, ' London Pleasure-Gardens of the Eighteenth Century,'
1896, p. 165.
CHAPTER XXIII.
ISLAND GARDENS, POPLAR— ROYAL VICTORIA GARDENS.
THERE is a marked similarity between these river-
side gardens. They are both reclaimed marsh
ground, situated in comparatively new but rapidly
developing districts. There is a railway-station
adjoining each, and if the scheme for establishing a free
ferry between Greenwich and Poplar had been carried out,
the likeness would be still more marked. The principal
feature of both places is the long river terrace, which affords
excellent views of the shipping passing up and down the
Thames. Another similarity in their past history is the
periodical flooding to which they have been subject, owing
to breaches in their embanking walls.
ISLAND GARDENS, POPLAR.
Island Gardens, those nearest to town, are situated at the
extreme south of the Isle of Dogs, opposite Greenwich
Hospital. This is almost the only portion of the river-front
of the Isle of Dogs which is not used for wharfage or com-
mercial premises. Prior to 1830 this district was practically
uninhabited, but the outer fringe is now wholly taken up by
the various shipbuilding yards and the many other industries
connected with the docks, which are bringing a large resident
population here. In fact, it is only the depression in trade,
in consequence of the removal of the greater portion of the
shipbuilding from the Thames, that has prevented the land
being swallowed up for trade purposes some years ago.
448 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
The gardens, which are about 2j acres in extent,
supplied a long - felt want in this populous district.
Although the surroundings are far from picturesque, from
the river promenade a fine view of Greenwich Hospital, on
the opposite bank, is obtained, while in the background on
the east and west rise the wooded heights of Shooter's Hill
and Greenwich Park.
The ground when acquired for public purposes \vas in a
very rough and neglected condition, and paths had to be
formed, drained and fenced, which, together with other
works, cost nearly £2,000. A residence had been built at
one end of the ground, part of which is occupied by the
foreman, whilst the remainder is used as a free library.
Near the centre of the gardens an inexpensive bandstand,
surrounded with a rockery, has been erected, where per-
formances are given during the season. In a corner of the
ground is a gymnasium ; but the principal feature of the
laying out has been the formation of a gravelled promenade
along the river-front, which is nearly 700 feet in length.
This is liberally provided with seats, and affords splendid
views of the river and its surroundings.
The question of acquiring this ground as an open space
had occupied public attention on more than one occasion
before this end was attained. The land had been let by the
Admiralty (who held a lease from the freeholders, the trustees
of Lady Margaret Charteris) to the Cubitt trustees, with a
reservation that no buildings, except certain villa residences,
were to be erected without their consent. One of these
villas (Osborne House) was built, and the foundations for
another prepared, but it was found that there was no
demand for residences of this class in the locality.
After the site had narrowly escaped being built upon for
wharfage purposes, negotiations for its acquisition as an
open space were again opened in 1889, and some four years
later these came to a successful issue. Three parties had
rights in the land which had to be purchased— the Cubitt
trustees, the Admiralty, and the trustees of Lady Charteris.
ISLAND GARDENS, POPLAR 449
The sum of £5,000, which represented the value of the
Cubitt trustees' interest, was subsequently reduced to £3,000.
They stated that this material reduction from the former
price was in the nature of a gift for the public benefit,
having regard to the use to which the land was to be put.
The amount finally arranged with the Admiralty for the
original plots was £3,000, but in addition to this they most
generously added as a free gift the land occupied by
Osborne House, for the rent of which they received £18
per annum. A further sum of £500 was given to the Cubitt
trustees for their interest in this additional plot, and the re-
version of the freehold of the whole property was purchased
from the trustees of Lady Margaret Charteris for £2,200,
making a total of £8,700, towards which the Poplar District
Board of Works contributed £3,500. After the laying-out
had been completed, the gardens were publicly opened amid
great enthusiasm on Saturday, August 3, 1895.
Turning now to consider the history of this riverside
recreation-ground, the first thing to be explained is the very
peculiar title of Isle of Dogs which the district bears. The
name does not seem to be older than the time of Elizabeth,
before which the place was called Stepney or Stebonheath
Marsh. The first use of the present name is found in some
unenvious company in a record of the trial of James Naylor,
the Quaker, for blasphemy. The debate as to the prisoner's
punishment turned on the delightful alternatives of slitting
or boring his tongue, cutting off his hair, whipping, or
exiling him to Bristol, the Scilly Isles, Jamaica, the Isle of
Dogs, or the Marshalsea.*
Among the many theories advanced for the origin of the
name may be mentioned that of Maitland, who writes in
1756 that the Isle of Dogs was first so denominated by
sailors from the great noise made by the King's hounds that
were kept here during the residence of the Royal Family at
Greenwich. He probably took his information from Strype's
* J. G. Miall, 'Footsteps of our Forefathers,' 1851.
29
450 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
edition of Stow's ' Survey/ 1720, who mentions the ' Marsh . . .
usually known by the name of the Isle of Dogs, so called
because when our former Princes made Greenwich their
country seat, and used it for hunting (they say), the kennels
for their dogs were kept on this marsh, which, usually
making a great noise, the seamen and others thereupon
called the place the Isle of Dogs.' Other versions of the
same story add that the various Princes resided during the
sporting season at Greenwich Palace, and kept their dogs
here as a convenient spot close to Waltham and the other
royal forests in Essex.
A second legend gives an entirely different reason for the
name. It runs as follows :
' It is called the Isle of Dogs, as is reported, from a water-
man's murthering a man in this place, who had a dog wdth
him, which would not leave his dead master, till hunger
constrained him to swim over to Greenwich ; which being
frequently repeated, was observed by the watermen plying
there, who, following the dog, by that means discovered the
body of the murthered man. Soon after, the dog returning
on his accustomed errand to Greenwich, snarled at a water-
man who sat there, and would not be beaten off, which
encouraged the bystanders who knew of the murder to ap-
prehend him, who thereupon confessed the fact, and, after
due prosecution at law, was hanged on this spot.'*
Another variation of this peculiar name must also be
mentioned : ' In some ancient writings possessed by the
Corporation of the City of London, this marsh is termed the
Isle of Ducks, a mode of denomination that has not been
noticed by any topographer, but which may readily be sup-
posed to allude to the number of wild-fowl which formerly
frequented the spot.'~f~ In a map dated 1740, in the posses-
sion of the Commissioners of Sewers, it is also called by this
name. There was formerly a small spot on the south side of
High Street, Poplar, at the west end, known as Duck Island,
* Griffiths, ' River Thames,' 1746, p. 43.
t Brewer, ' Beauties of England and Wales.'
ISLAND GARDENS, POPLAR 451
and this appellation may have been misapplied to the whole
district.*
The chief characteristics of the Isle -of Dogs in the past
seem to have been the number of windmills on the shore,
and the rich pastures within the marshes. The memory of
the windmills still survives in the name of Millwall, which
embraces the whole of the western sides of the so-called
island. Among the many old views showing these mills we
may mention one of London and Westminster, published in
1752, taken from One Tree Hill in Greenwich Park. On
this are shown seven windmills upon the river-bank, opposite
Deptford, with a small building attached to each mill.f It
is natural that the marsh should have been extremely fertile,
intersected as it was with creeks, and surrounded with water.
Most of the old descriptions of this place lay particular
emphasis on this fact. An old historian says : ' Such is the
fertility of this marsh, that it produceth sheep and oxen of
the largest size, and very fat. They are brought out of
other counties and fed here. I have been assured by a
grazier of good report (saith the Rev. Dr. Woodward) that
he knew eight oxen sold out of this marsh for £34 each.
And all our neighbourhood knew that a butcher undertook
to furnish the club at Blackwall with a leg of mutton every
Saturday throughout the year that should weigh twenty-
eight pound, the sheep being fed in this marsh, or he would
have nothing for them ; and he did perform it.'t Some
other writers went so far as to say it had the richest grass
in the country, and others that it was a kind of convalescent
home for cattle, which were sent here when on their last legs
in order to be fattened up for the market. In Norden's map
of Middlesex (1593) it is referred to as the Isle of Dogs
Ferme.
The historical notes attaching to this little river garden
are not very numerous. All the interest clings to the
opposite shore around the many fine buildings — the parish
* Cowper, ' History of Mill wall,' 1853, p. 16. f Ibid.) p. 19.
% Strype's edition of Stow's ' Annals.'
29—2
452
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
church of St. Alphege, erected on the traditional site of his
martyrdom by the Danes ; the classic pile of Greenwich
Hospital ; the peculiar domes of the Greenwich Observatory.
All of these would have a long tale to tell. The maps of
some fifty years back are content to mark the site of the
gardens as ' reed ground.' It was very nearly being acquired
by the late Metropolitan Board of Works some years ago
for another purpose. When the question of providing com-
munication between the two shores of the Thames below
Greenwich Hospital from Island Gardens.
London Bridge was under serious consideration, one of the
proposed sites for a free ferry similar to that at Woolwich
was between Greenwich and the Isle of Dogs. The landing-
stage for the boats, if this scheme had been carried out,
w7ould have been on the western end of the present recreation-
ground. There was a clause in the Bill to enable the late
Board to lay out as a recreation-ground so much of the land
as was not required for the purposes of a ferry. At the time
when this proposal was under discussion, the Earl of Meath,
ISLAND GARDENS, POPLAR 453
then Lord Brabazon, offered, on behalf of the Metropolitan
Public Gardens Association, to lay out this land for public
use. This scheme was not carried out, but the question of
communication between the two shores has been solved in
another way. A tunnel is about to be built under the
Thames similar to that at Blackwall, for one of the
entrances to which a small portion of the gardens will be
required.
There has been a ferry between these points for nearly
three hundred years, and perhaps longer. Pepys records
his crossing here on July 24, 1665. The extract is so very
amusing that it is worth being repeated. It appears that he
had gone down to Deptford on business, ' and by-and-by
went over to the ferry and took coach and six horses nobly
for Dagenham.' After ' spending the day most pleasantly
with the young ladies,' they prepared to come home. ' We
set out so late that it grew dark, so as we doubted the losing
of our way, and a long time it was or seemed before we could
get to the water-side, and that about eleven at night, where,
when we came, all merry, we found no ferry-boat was there
nor no oars to carry us to Deptford. However, afterwards,
oars were called from the other side at Greenwich; but,
when it came, a frolic, being mighty merry, took us, and
there we would sleep all night in the coach in the Isle of
Dogs. So we did, there being now with us my Lady Scott,
and with great pleasure drew up the glasses, and slept till
daylight, and then some victuals and wine being brought us,
we ate a bit, and so up and took boat, merry as might be ;
and when come to Sir G. Carteret's, there all to bed.' A day
or two later he had another stay in the Isle of Dogs, which
was not quite so pleasant. Owing to the plague, the
Admiralty officers had resolved to meet at Deptford, where
he arrived at six in the morning, and he continues : ' By
water to the Ferry, where, when we came, no coach there,
and tide of ebb so far spent as the horse-boat could not get
off on the other side of the river to bring away the coach.
So we were fain to stay there in the unlucky Isle of Dogs, in
454 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
a chill place, the morning cool and wind fresh, above two, if
not three hours, to our great discontent.'
The many references he makes r to this ferry give us some
idea of its importance as a means of communication in those
days. Frequently mention is made of messengers coming
and going by this route to Hackney and other parts of the
north of London. The walk across the marsh must have
been very dreary, if not dangerous, especially at night time.
In 1812 the ferry was owned by a society called the Potters'
Ferry Society. In that year an Act was passed creating a
statutory ferry for horses and vehicles in favour of the Poplar
and Greenwich Ferry Company, and by a later Act the
company were empowered to levy a toll of a penny for each
passenger landed from the foot-passenger ferry as a return
for the sums expended by them in the formation of the roads
thereto. The undertaking had originally cost some £200,000,
but was unremunerative. In view of the heavy claims for
compensation, the question of purchasing the ferry rights
had to be abandoned.
Discoveries which have been made at different times during
the excavations for the dock basins seem to make it probable
that a great change has come over the physical features of
the Isle of Dogs. In place of the marsh land as it is now
known, there must have been at some very remote period a
„ forest here. A very extensive list of quotations is given in
Cowper's ' History of Millwall ' bearing on the subject, from
which we take the following : 'In the Isle of Dogs a forest
of this description was found at 8 feet from the grass, con-
sisting of elm, oak, and fir trees, some of the former of which
were 3 feet 4 inches in diameter ; accompanied by human
bones and recent shells, but no metals or traces of civiliza-
tion. The trees in this forest were all laid from south-east
to north-west, as if the inundation which had overthrown
them came from that quarter.'* Another authority supposes
that the cause was an earthquake. The writer, in describing
the discovery of the subterranean forest, goes on to say,
* Weale, ' Survey of London,' p. 36.
ISLAND GARDENS, POPLAR 455
' Some violent convulsion of Nature, perhaps an earthquake,
must have overturned this forest, and buried it many feet
below the present high-water mark ; but when or how it
happened is beyond the tradition of the most remote
ages.'*
Lysons mentions ' that a great quantity of fossil nuts and
wood were found ' in digging for one of the basins of the
East India Docks. This was in 1789 ; but exactly the same
things had been found in the century before, as Pepys
mentions them under the date September 22, 1665 : ' At
Blackwall. . . . Here is observable what Johnson tells us,
that in digging the late dock they did, 12 feet under ground,
find perfect trees overcovered with earth. Nut-trees, with
the branches and the very nuts upon them, some of whose
nuts he showed us. Their shells, black with age, and their
kernels, upon opening, decayed, but their shell perfectly hard
as ever ; and a yew tree, upon which the very ivy was taken
up whole about it, which, upon cutting with an adze, we
found it to be rather harder than the living tree usually is.'f
As these remains have been found all over the Isle of Dogs,
from the water's edge into Essex, the original forest must
have been of considerable extent. In the Doomsday survey,
under the heading of Stebonheath, mention is made of a
wood, long since disappeared, which was perhaps part of
this ancient forest.
The land in the Isle of Dogs, being below the level of the
Thames, has always been liable to flooding. At various
times the embankments have burst with disastrous con-
sequences to the land-owners. One of the most serious of
these took place in 1449, when a breach in the embankment
was made, some 20 rods in length, by which 1,000 acres
were flooded. J
The banks were never properly repaired, and as a con-
sequence similar calamities occurred in later years. Some
* ' Encyclopaedia Londiniensis,' 1812, vol. xi., p. 408.
t Pepys' 'Diary,' CasselFs edition, 1664-5, P- T39-
I Cowper, ' History of Millwall,' p. 40.
456 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
account of these, taken from the original minute-books of
the Poplar Commission of Sewers, may be found interesting.
' i Nov., 1629. — At this day many of the Commissioners
then present, did meet uppon the marshe called Stebbin-
heath marshe, also Poplar marshe, where the great breach
hapened on the 23rd day of October last, and survayed and
viewed the said breach and the outer wall there, and being
thereby fully satisfyed that the great breach was soe deepe
and dangerous and had soe torne the marshe adjoining very
farre into the said marshe, they weare fully satisfyed and
resolved that the said breach could not be stopped in the
place where the mayne wall was before, but that for the
safety of the whole levell, it was necessary that another
insett and inner wall should be made with a horse-showe
(i.e., horseshoe wall) to preserve the whole levell, and
therefore did approve and allow the work already begunne,
and did order and did decree that they should proceed to
make a strong wall fitt for the defence of the said levell in
the place where now the said insett is begunne, and that
workmen, materialls, and all things necessary together with
money to pay for the same bee forthwith provided for the
full finishing and accomplishing of the said worke.'
By far the most serious of these breaches took place in 1659,
and the minute on this occasion, dated March 28, 1660, states
that ' the said unfortunate breach happened on Thursday,
the 2Oth of March, 1659,' and they ordered, ' Whereas it
appeareth unto this court by the presentment of the jury
for the said marshe, who uppon a veiwe taken this present
day of the walls and banks of the said marshe doe present
uppon their oathes that the charge to make upp the great
breach which happened on the 2oth day of March last will
amount to the summe of £12,000 or thereabouts, the Com-
missioners do therefore order and impose a tax of fortie
shillings the acre uppon every acre of ground, to be paid
by the severall owners of lands within the said marshe on
the ^th day of Aprill next unto Henry Dethicke, gent., at
his house in Poplar, in the countie aforesaid, and to be
ROYAL VICTORIA GARDENS, NORTH WOOLWICH 457
expended by him for and towards the payment of such
officers and workmen as shall be employed, and for such
materialls as shall be bought and made use of in making
upp the said breach.'
This is the breach referred to by Pepys under date
March 23, 1660 : * In our way we saw the great breach which
the late high water had made, to the loss of many thousand
pounds to the people about Limehouse.'
In order to prevent a recurrence of these disasters, the
Admiralty expended £8,000 in building the present river
wall.
ROYAL VICTORIA GARDENS, NORTH WOOLWICH.
These gardens are situated on the Essex shore of the
Thames, in what is called the ecclesiastical district of North
Woolwich. Nearly half the parish of Woolwich is on this
side of the water, from which has arisen the local saying that
more wealth passes through Woolwich than any other town
in the world, referring, of course, to the rich cargoes of the
ships that pass along the Thames between the two halves of
the parish. A curious tradition (very similar to one con-
nected with Battersea) is current to explain why Woolwich
should thus have extended its boundaries to the opposite
shore. It is to the effect that a native of Woolwich was
found drowned on the opposite shore, in Essex, and that the
parish in which he was thrown refused to bury him ; on this
he was buried by the parish of Woolwich, which afterwards
claimed the land where the body was discovered, and
obtained a verdict in a court of law.*
For many centuries Woolwich was nothing more than a
small fishing village, and its rise to importance is of com-
paratively recent date. North Woolwich is of still more
modern growth. To go back only a few years, we find that
it consisted of a few cottages, and the Old Barge House,
which was the landing-place for the Woolwich ferry-boats.
It is now fast developing into an important place, and the
* ' Beauties of England and Wales.'
458 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
establishment of several large manufactories in the immediate
vicinity will cause it to increase still more. It is asserted by
several histories, on the authority of an old manuscript, that
prior to 1790 North Woolwich contained a number of houses
and a chapel-of-ease, but there is probably some mistake
about the record.
For this growing population on this side of the Thames a
recreation-ground has been provided in these gardens, which,
under the name of North Woolwich Gardens, have long been
known as a place for dancing and amusement on payment
of admission money. They occupy 10 acres of land on the
banks of the river Thames, immediately facing Woolwich,
including a raised esplanade, which furnishes a pleasant view
of the river. The remainder of the gardens is below the
level of the water, thickly planted with shady groves of trees.
The old tea-gardens were about to be laid out as wharf
property, but a committee, of. which the Duke of West-
minster was chairman, intervened, and raised sufficient sub-
scriptions to purchase the ground. The total cost was
£19,000, including £10,000 from the Charity Commissioners,
£l,ooo from the London County Council, and £500 from
the East Ham Local Board. By the express permission of
the Queen, the present title of Royal Victoria Gardens was
given to the recreation-ground, which had thus been secured.
Coming through the principal entrance, a stretch of lawn
faces us, dotted with flower-beds, and beyond this is a long
avenue stretching the whole length of the gardens. At the
commencement of this avenue, by the lodge, are four statues,
relics of the former tea-gardens. One pair of these represents
the shepherd and shepherdess so common an ornament at
these kind of places, and the other two must have formed
part of a grotto or cave. Underneath the trees room has
been found for some tennis-courts, whilst a clear space on
the other side forms a playground for the children. Turning
now to the right, several flights of steps give access to the
river-front, along which a gravelled promenade has been
formed. This is the favourite place in the gardens. The
ROYAL VICTORIA GARDENS, NORTH WOOLWICH 459
vessels passing by on the Thames — large steamers to and
from the port of London from every part of the world, sailing
barges, with their picturesque brown sails, and other craft of
every description — present an ever-changing scene. Apart
from this, the immediate view is commonplace, the only
interesting feature to break the monotony of the chimneys
and other commercial premises on the Woolwich shore being
the square tower of the old parish church. In the back-
ground can be seen the wooded hills of Bostall, St. Nicholas'
Church, and Plumstead Common, and the huge mass of
Shooter's Hill towering above them all. Behind the pro-
menade on the terrace is another walk under the chestnut-
trees, which are so thickly planted as to make it nearly dark
even in the most brilliant sunshine. In the summer months
a band plays upon the terrace.
Although never obtaining the celebrity of Vauxhall or
Cremorne, the gardens attached to the Pavilion Hotel,
nevertheless, attracted large crowds to North Woolwich.
At the time when they were opened, in 1851, these places of
resort were in the height of their popularity. The principal
amusement was dancing on an extensive outdoor platform,
which was kept up till a very late, or rather early, hour. A
small menagerie was among the list of permanent attractions,
whilst occasionally there were ' barmaid ' and ' monster
baby ' shows. They were under the management of the late
well-known amusement caterer, Mr. William Holland, who
first came into prominence in connection with these gardens.
They were not a profitable speculation, and about the same
time he became lessee of the Surrey Theatre, where he
produced several successful pantomimes. The ' people's
William ' took a delight in relating his multitudinous experi-
ences, and he used to tell how the receipts at the Surrey
went to pay the losses at his Thames-side gardens. Another
amusing incident he used to tell was how he escaped in a
balloon at North Woolwich Gardens from the unpleasant
attentions of a process-server. When the popularity of tea-
gardens declined, North Woolwich shared in the general
46o OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
downfall, and had to be closed. Most of the buildings which
wrere used for the shows were burnt down just after the
gardens were acquired for public use, but before they had
been laid out and formally opened.
Communication between the gardens and the opposite
shore is maintained by a free steam-ferry, the first estab-
lished in England. Ferries between North and South
Woolwich have existed since very ancient times. In 1308 a
messuage and a ferry at Woolwich were sold by William de
Wicton to William Atte Halle, mason, for £10.
In 1320 Lambert de Trykenham conveyed one messuage,
50 acres land, 40 wood, 40 heath, and 145. rent, in Woolwich
and elsewhere, and a ferry across the Thames at Woolwich,
to John Latymer and Joan his wife.
In 1340 these lands, rent, and the ferry were conveyed by
William Filliol and Mary his wife to Thomas Harwold and
his heirs for 100 silver marks.
Some ten years before this last sale the people at Woolwich
had petitioned the King to suppress two rival ferries at
Erith and Greenwich, on the plea that their competition
seriously injured their receipts. The Woolwich ferry is
there described as a royal ferry. ' farmed of the King,' which
may be accounted for by supposing it as an appurtenance to
the royal manor of Eltham.*
The old ferry was a little to the east of the present one on
the other side of the gardens, the landing-place being the
' Old Barge House.' This is a very modern structure in
spite of its venerable name, but was originally nothing more
than an old barge with a hut built upon it. It is said at
one time to have been a floating residence, but was firmly
established afterwards on shore. The owner of the barge
built a cottage on the inland side, and in course of time the
present tavern came into existence. Travelling from the
opposite shore was an expensive luxury by this ferry. The
charges were 35. 6d. for a horse and cart, and gd. to is. per
head for cattle according to the number. The proceeds
* Vincent, ' Records of the Woolwich District.'
ROYAL VICTORIA GARDENS, NORTH WOOLWICH 461
of the present ferry at the same rates would be enormous.
During the first year of working no fewer than two and a
half million foot-passengers and over a hundred thousand
vehicles were carried across. The three steam ferry-boats
which perform the double journey in twenty minutes form
conspicuous objects on the Thames at Woolwich. With
their two huge funnels a long distance apart, they look like
importations from the Mississippi. They can accommodate
a thousand foot-passengers each, and the raised platforms
can carry ten vehicles with horses. They are named the
Duncan, Gordon, and Hutton. The first two names are in
memory of two patriotic and devoted public servants, the
late General Gordon and Colonel Francis Duncan, both of
whom were, during a considerable portion of their lives,
closely connected with Woolwich by reason of their military
duties. The third boat is named after Sir John Hutton,
a former Chairman of the London County Council.
Not very many years ago, Woolwich and Barking, on the
opposite shore, were important fishing villages, the principal
trade being in salmon. The growth of the Metropolis, and
the fouling of the water by the ever-increasing quantity of
sewage turned into it, have both made salmon -fishing a
thing of the past ; but by means of the extensive filtration
and precipitation works, the contamination of the river is
reduced to a minimum. To show how the river is becoming
more purified, we may mention that a live haddock was
caught off the gardens in March, 1895, but it will be some
long time yet before the salmon will return to its old haunts.
As North Woolwich had practically no population at all
before 1837, it is hardly to be expected that much history
would attach to the site of these gardens. In ancient times
this district was probably swampy forest ground. One of
our oldest historians, Holinshed, in his Chronicles, pub-
lished in 1577, says of Essex : ' I find also by good record
that all Essex hathe in times past wholie been forest ground,
save one (Cantred or) Hundred, but how long it is since it
lost the said domination, in good sooth, I do not read.'
462
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Between this forest and the river, the lands were subject
to inundation at every flow of the tide. These ' marshes,
bordering on the Thames, in what is now called the parish
of East Ham, were available property at the time of the
Saxon Heptarchy, for it is recorded that King Offa* endowed
the monastery of St. Peter's, Westminster, with 2 hides of
land in Hamme.' This gift was subsequently confirmed by
King Edgar, and afterwards also by King Edward the
Confessor, in a charter dated January, 1066, wherein
amongst other grants made to Westminster Abbey by the
Kings, his predecessors, 2 hides of land in ' Hamme ' are
recited. In Doomsday Book the estate owned by St. Peter's
The Site of the Royal Victoria Gardens, North Woolwich, about 1839.
in Hamme is called ' a manor and 2 hides of land, con-
taining always one caracute of arable, worth in Saxon times
20 shillings, but in Norman sixty shillings, then 3 bordars,
afterwards five, and woodland to find pannage for eight
hogs.' In 1542 this property of the Dean and Chapter of
Westminster was described as ' a farm in the marshes of
East Ham, near Barking.' It was part of this estate that
was sold by the Dean and Chapter, and afterwards con-
verted into the North Woolwich Gardens, alienated, after a
possession of 1,200 years, by a corporation of clergymen to
become a tea-garden. t
* Not the great King of Mercia, but probably a King of the East
Saxons of the same name.
f Catherine Fry, 'History of East and West Ham,' 1888.
ROYAL VICTORIA GARDENS, NORTH WOOLWICH 463
To show how this side of the Thames has changed in
character, we may quote from a local historian,* who, in
deploring the completion of the railway to North Woolwich,
adds : ' It is singular to hear the whistle of the locomotive
and the clatter of the iron wheels where, twelve months
since, the heron, the plover, and the bittern roamed in
almost undisturbed solitude.' Some little allowance for
imagination must be made in reading this extract, but it
will give some idea of the change from stagnation to activity
which has taken place.
There is a story told of this former swamp, the place of
which has been taken by the gardens, which would give
them the sanctity of haunted ground. It is of a handsome
young huntsman and his bride who elected to spend their
wedding-day in boar-hunting. The lady, who was foremost
in the chase, forgetful in her excitement of impending pit-
falls, dashed wildly on, till she found herself beyond reclaim
sinking slowly but surely in the quagmire from which no
escape was possible. Her lover plunged gallantly in to save
her, but he was too late, and he also was lost in his efforts
to extricate his young bride. On this sad honeymoon is
based the superstition that a skeleton horseman on the
boniest of steeds is to be seen here at nightfall — in fact, that
' A hideous huntsman's seen to rise
With a lurid glare in his sunken eyes ;
Whose bony fingers point the track
Of a phantom prey to a skeleton pack,
Whose frantic courser's trembling bones
Play a rattling theme to the hunter's groans ;
As he comes and goes in the fitful light,
Of the clouded moon on a summer's night.
Then a furious blast from his ghostly horn
Is over the forest of Hainault borne,
And the wild refrain of the mourner's song
Is heard by the boatman all night long,
That demon plaint on the still night air,
With never an answering echo there.' f
* Ruegg, ' Woolwich and its Environs.'
t Irving Montagu, ' Ghosts,' Strand Magazine, 1891, vol. xi.
464 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
The marshes now occupied by the gardens were once the
site of a military encampment. In 1667, just after the Fire
of London, war was declared against the Dutch, who, after
being defeated in a battle off Lowestoft, took Sheerness, and
sailed up the Thames, threatening London itself. At this
time Sir Allan Apsley, who had distinguished himself as a
staunch Royalist, was quartered with his regiment at the
point of land over against Woolwich. His position is still
further explained by a letter dated June 17, 1667, from ' the
marsh over against Woolwich,' in which he complains that his
men are deserting him, and ' cannot be persuaded that they
are obliged to stay.'*
Traces of the Roman occupation are very evident at this
part of the Essex shore. During some excavations in 1863,
for ballast to form the embankment which carries the
northern high-level sewer to Barking, the remains of what
must have been an extensive Roman cemetery were dis-
covered by the workmen. Among the spoils thus exhumed
were three leaden coffins, a stone coffin with a coped lid, and
skeletons supposed to have been interred in wooden coffins,
together with cinerary urns, and broken fragments of Samian
pottery. This discovery would point pretty conclusively to
the fact that the Romans had a considerably large colony
just about this part.
The river-wall which protects the gardens from inunda-
tion is under the jurisdiction of the Essex Commissioners of
Sewers. Various conjectures have been made as to whom
the credit is due for having first embanked the Thames.
Some say the Romans, others the many religious bodies
who had lands bordering upon the river. In 1707 a serious
breach in the river-wall flooded the whole of this district,
and the present gardens must then have been entirely under
water.
This inundation, commonly known as the Dagenham
breach, ' happened i7th of December, 1707, at an extra-
ordinary high tide, accompanied with a violent wind, and
* Vincent, ' Records of the Woolwich District.'
ROYAL VICTORIA GARDENS, NORTH WOOLWICH 465
was occasioned by the blowing up of a sluice, made for the
drain of the land waters in the wall and banks of the Thames.
If proper and immediate help had been applied, it could have
been easily stopped . . . but through the neglect thereof,
the constant force of the water setting in and out of the
levels soon made the gap wider, so that a large channel was
torn up, and a passage made for the water, of 100 yards
wide, and twenty feet deep in some places. By which
unhappy accident about 1,000 acres of rich land in the levels
of Dagenham and Havering . . . were overflowed. The
expense of repairing this breach was, at first, laid upon the
proprietors of the lands, but after many wearied and un-
successful attempts of theirs for about seven years, until they
had expended more than the value of the land, it was given
wholly over as impracticable. However, being deemed a
public concern, upon application to Parliament, an Act was
obtained for the speedy and effectual preserving the naviga-
tion of the river Thames by stopping the breach in the levels
of Havering and Dagenham. By which Act, for ten years
from loth of July, 1714, the master of every ship or vessel
(with some specified exceptions) coming into the port of
London was obliged to pay threepence per ton.'* The cost
of repairing this breach amounted to over £40,000.
* Morant, ' History of Essex.'
CHAPTER XXIV.
LEICESTER SQUARE.
THE task of writing the history of Leicester Square
is a difficult one, owing to the wealth of materials
at the chronicler's disposal. Any casual passer
through the square must have noticed the plates
affixed to two houses by the Society of Arts, marking them
as the residences of former celebrities, and we find at once
that we are upon historical ground. At the present day
Leicester Square is looked upon as the headquarters of
the French colony in London. After the revocation of
'the Edict of Nantes (1685) this neighbourhood became a
favourite resort of the more aristocratic French Protestant
exiles, and their descendants have remained here ever since.
There was a time when fields covered the site of the
square. In Aggas's survey of London in the time of
Elizabeth, dated 1592, the land is shown as open pasture.
Leaving Charing Cross, with St. James's Park and its deer
on the left, a small lane — Hedge Lane (now Whitcomb
Street) — leads to the fields, which are occupied by two
pedestrians, a woman laying out clothes to dry, and two
animals, one of which appears to be deformed, either in-
tentionally or through an error on the part of the engraver.
This map was drawn at a time when both St. Martin's and
St. Giles' could legitimately claim their distinguishing titles
of ' in the fields.' A few years soon made a great difference,
as will be seen by comparing Aggas's map with Faithorne's,
468 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
dated 1658.* The whole of the neighbourhood to the east
of the fields is now seen to be covered with houses, with here
and there a square dotted. In Leicester Fields a mansion
has appeared, with its gardens reaching back to what is
denominated ' Military yard,' where Prince Henry, the eldest
son of James I., exercised his troops. This mansion is
Leicester House, around v/hich clings much of the history
of Leicester Square. The land upon which the mansion
was built was called Lammas land, i.e., land open to the poor
after Lammas-tide, and the Earl of Leicester had to pay rent
for the ground to the overseers of the poor of St. Martin's-in-
the-Fields. An entry in the time of Charles I. records : ' To
receewed of the Honble Earle of Leicester, for ye Lamas of
the ground that adjoins to the Military Wall — £3. . . . The
Rt. Honble the Earl of Leicester, for the Lamas of the
ground whereon his Lordship's house and garden are, and
the field, that is before his house neare to Swan Close. 'f
This field is, of course, the present Leicester Square, and
Swan Close is identified by some as the ground occupied by
the house, corresponding therefore with Leicester Place,
Leicester Street, and Lisle Street.
Leicester House was built about 1632-36 by Robert
Sidney, Earl of Leicester, the father of Algernon Sidney,
and of Lady Dorothy, the Sacharissa of the poet Waller.
An item of interest about this time regarding the use to
which the present garden was put may be taken from the
Stafford Letters, vol. i., p. 377.
' March 5, 1635. — There was a difference like to fly high
betwixt my Lord Chamberlain and my Lord of Leicester
about a Bowling Green that my Lord Chamberlain had
given his barber leave to set up, in lieu of that in the
Common Garden, in the field under my Lord of Leicester's
house ; but the matter after some ado is taken up.'
* Both of these maps are reproduced in Mr. Tom Taylor's exhaustive
' History of Leicester Square.'
t Quoted in Wheatley and Cunningham's ' London : Past and Present,'
vol. ii., p. 380.
LEICESTER SQUARE 469
The Earl of Leicester was an absentee landlord. When
not engaged on his frequent embassies abroad, he was at his
favourite country seat at Penshurst in Kent. Whilst my
Lord of Leicester was away from town, his house was rented
by several illustrious personages. Among these was Eliza-
beth, Queen of Bohemia, and eldest daughter of James I.
She was living at Craven House when her fatal illness struck
her, and moved here only a fortnight before her death, in
February 1662. Another occupant was Colbert, the French
Ambassador in the reign of Charles II. Pepys was one of a
deputation who should have waited upon him, but he had
been to a house-warming, and he continues : ' I rose from table
before the rest, because under an obligation to go to my
Lord Brouncker's, where to meet several gentlemen of the
Royal Society, to go and make a visit to the French Am-
bassador Colbert, at Leicester House, he having endeavoured
to make one or two to my Lord Brouncker, as our President,
but he was not within, I came too late, they being gone
before, so I followed to Leicester House ; but they are gone
in and up before me.'*
Evelyn was more successful than his brother diarist. He
had gone to Leicester House to take leave of Lady Sunder-
land, whose husband was Ambassador to Paris, and was there
edified by the feats of a fire-eater named Richardson. ' He
devour'd brimston on glowing coales before us,' says Evelyn.
' chewing and swallowing them ; he mealted a beere-glasse,
and eate it quite up ; ... then he mealted pitch and wax
with sulphur, which he drank down as it flamed ; . . . with
diver other prodigious feates.'t
The Earl of Leicester died in 1677, and his successors
spent little of their time here. The house and gardens
passed from the Sidneys altogether at the end of the last
century, when they were sold to the Tulk family for £90,000,
to pay off the encumbrances on Penshurst. t But we are
hurrying on too quickly. The German Ambassador was in
* Pepys' ' Diary,' October 21, 1668. f ' Diary,' October 8, 1672.
J Tom Taylor, ' Leicester Square,' p. 125.
470
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
residence here in 1708, and to this house came Prince
Eugene in 1712, on his fruitless mission to prevent the Peace
of Utrecht. He was very popular with the people, although
' the Queen used him civilly, but not with the distinction
that was due to his high merit ; nor did he gain much ground
with the ministers.'* He failed in his mission, but had
Leicester Square in 1700.
some consolation in returning to Holland with a diamond-
hiked sword, presented him by the Queen.
Once more in 1717 the mansion changed tenants, the next
occupant being George Augustus, Prince of Wales, and it
remained as the town-house of the heirs to the throne for
Bishop Burnet, quoted in English Illustrated Magazine, August
1886.
LEICESTER SQUARE
another forty years. Pennant very happily calls Leicester
House the 'pouting place of princes.' The first Prince
came here in a temper, and when he succeeded to the
throne his son followed his splendid example. This Prince
ended his days at the mansion in Leicester Fields in 1751,
from the bursting of an abscess in his throat, said to have
been caused by a blow from a cricket-ball at Cliveden.
His widowed Princess remained here till 1766, when she
removed to Carlton House. Leicester House was then in
the occupation of the Duke of Gloucester.
In the meantime there were some gay doings in the
square. Leicester House witnessed a gorgeous state cere-
monial in 1760, when George III. was proclaimed King in
the presence of the nobility and high officers of the State.
The first stopping-place of the procession was in Leicester
Fields ; it then moved on to Charing Cross, where the cere-
mony was repeated, and so on to the Royal Exchange.*
One more state function, and the connection of royalty
with Leicester House closes. The large drawing-room of
the mansion was the scene of the marriage of Princess
Augusta to the popular Prince of Brunswick.
Passing now into private hands, Leicester House became
a British Museum on a small scale. Mr. (afterwards Sir)
Ashton Lever removed his collection of objects of natural
history (to which he gave the name of ' Holophusikon ') from
Manchester to London, thinking to obtain the same popu-
larity for his curiosities in the capital as at their former
home. In this he was sadly disappointed. After the
exhibition had been kept open from 1771 to 1784, the collec-
tion was offered to the nation at a moderate price, but
refused. Sir Ashton then obtained an Act of Parliament to
dispose of it by a lottery of 36,000 tickets at a guinea each,
the winner to have the collection, and the other subscribers
four admission tickets. Only 8,000 of the tickets were taken,
and the winner exhibited the contents under the title of the
Museum Leverianum, in a building called the Rotunda, on
* Tom Taylor, ' Leicester Square,' p. 263.
472 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
the south side of Blackfriars Bridge. But the experiment
of combining instruction with amusement was not a success-
ful bait for the public, and at Blackfriars once more the
museum was a failure. In Sir Ashton's time the price of
admission was 55. 3d., and the following advertisement
frequently appeared : ' Sir Ashton Lever's Museum, con-
taining many thousand articles, displayed in two galleries,
the whole length of Leicester House, is open every day
from ten o'clock till four. Admission 53. 3d. each person.'
— Morning Post, November 16, 1778.* The charge was sub-
sequently reduced to half a crown, and then to a shilling,
but all to no effect, and the new proprietors had to close
their doors. The contents of the museum were then sold
by auction, the sale lasting sixty-five days. Perhaps the
most interesting things in the collection, which filled sixteen
rooms at Leicester House, were the curiosities brought home
by Captain Cook from his many voyages.
Soon after the dispersal of these treasures Leicester House
itself disappeared. It was pulled down in 1790, and Leicester
Place and Lisle Street now occupy the site.
Another great house in the square was Savile House,
which adjoined the mansion of the Sidneys. It was so
named after its later occupants, the Savile family, although
built by the Earl of Aylesbury. Among the distinguished
visitors to this house we must give foremost place to that
eccentric personage Peter the Great. There is another side
to his character than the one generally known, in which he
is regarded as the industrious zealot anxious to obtain an
insight into everything that concerned the good of his
empire. Bishop Burnet, who had, as he says, * much free
discourse with him,' summed him up as a ' man of very hot
tempers, soon inflamed, and very brutal in his passion.' To
all his practical intelligence he added ' the habits of a sot
and the manners of a savage.' t When Peter the Great
* Q.uoted in Wheatley and Cunningham's ' London : Past and Present,'
vol. ii., p. 381.
f Tom Taylor, ' Leicester Square,' p. 165.
LEICESTER SQUARE 473
came to England in 1698 Savile House was occupied by the
Marquis of Carmarthen, and he was chosen to be the guide
and companion of the Emperor. The chief occupation of
the Russian visitor at Savile House was the drinking of
oceans of sack, varied with brandy spiced with pepper. After
his departure the house quieted down again, and in 1718
it was hired by the Prince of Wales for the use of his
children, a communication being made between this and the
adjoining Leicester House.
In later years the house came into prominence during the
Gordon Riots of 1780. Sir George Savile, who was living
here at the time, had brought in his Bill for the relief of the
Roman Catholics, which in a great measure brought about
the riots, and his house was one of the first attacked by the
mob, ' carried by storm and given up to pillage, but the
building was saved. The railings torn from it were the
chief weapons and instruments of the rioters.'* Sir George
Savile's intimate friend Burke, in writing about this anxious
time, relates how he kept watch for four nights at Lord
Rockingham's or Sir George Savile's, whose houses were
garrisoned by a strong body of soldiers, together with num-
bers of true friends of the first rank who were willing to
share the danger.
When it had lost its fashionable occupants, Savile House
became the home of one of the numerous exhibitions
associated with the square. After being rebuilt, and used
for a while as a place of entertainment, it was opened for
the splendid collection of pictures in needlework executed
by Miss Linwood. These were copies of the best pictures
of the masters, both ancient and modern, represented by
coloured worsted upon white linen. The exhibition continued
for forty-seven years, and then the various pictures were sold
by auction on the death of Miss Linwood at the ripe age of
ninety.
Savile House was burnt to the ground in 1865, and for a
* Walpole to Rev. W. Cole, June 15, 1780, quoted in * London : Past
and Present.'
474 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
long while the site remained empty, but about 1880 it was
utilized for a panorama, and subsequently it was adapted for
the Empire Theatre, which, from its present flourishing
condition, seems to have come to stay.
Having thus followed the fortunes of Savile House and
Leicester House, we must retrace our steps and continue
the history of Leicester Square or Fields. The square was
built about the same time as Leicester House, although the
south side was not completed till 1671. Towards the end
of the seventeenth century the ground in the centre was
railed in, and the square at this time is thus described by
Strype : ' Leicester Fields, a very handsome, large square,
enclosed with rails, and graced on all sides with good built
houses, well inhabited, and resorted unto by gentry, especially
the side towards the north, where the houses are larger,
amongst which is Leicester House, the seat of the Earl of
Leicester, and the house adjoining to it (Savile House),
inhabited by the Earl of Aylesbury.'*
The enclosure, thus railed in, like other similar squares,
was more than once the scene of a duel in the times when
sudden quarrels were settled by an appeal to the sword.
At night time there were no lamps to shed light upon any
such encounters which might take place, and, apart from
this, the enclosure generally seems to have fallen into a
neglected condition. In 1737 an attempt was made to
remedy this, and the first laying out was accomplished.
The cost of this was defrayed by a voluntary subscription of
the inhabitants, which probably originated in the desire to
encourage the fashionable resort to the square. A con-
temporary print in the British Museum shows us the stiff,
formal style in which this was done. A path parallel with
the sides of the square runs round the outside, and two
other paths at right angles divide it into four plots, with a
round basin in the centre. This basin was originally intended
for a fountain, as at present, but its place was taken some
eleven years later by a gilded equestrian statue of George I.,
* Strype, book vi., pp. 68, 86.
LEICESTER SQUARE 475
brought from the Duke of Chandos' seat at Canons. It is
said by Walpole to have been erected here by Frederick,
Prince of Wales, to vex his father George II. This gilded
statue remained as one of the sights of London, till
another exhibition nearly settled the fate of the garden of
the square. In 1851 Mr. Wylde, the celebrated geographer,
entered into an agreement with the Tulk family (who, as we
have seen, acquired the property of the Earls of Leicester),
under which he erected a huge globe, 60 feet in diameter,
with accessory rooms on the site of the garden. For ten
years this exhibition was carried on, and various historical
and similar collections were also on view. Then in 1861,
under the terms of the agreement, ' Wylde's Great Globe '
had to be taken down. The old statue was then re-erected
in a dilapidated condition, and the garden was once more
allowed to fall into sad neglect. The statue began to fall to
pieces, and was kept up by a wooden prop. A practical
joker afterwards fitted it with a broom in one hand and a
saucepan on its head. But nobody interfered, and the
garden and its statue became a disgrace to this part of
London. During the time the statue was here another
more modest entertainment was noticed by Wordsworth in
the square :
* What crowd is this ? What have we here ? We must not pass it by ;
A telescope upon its frame, and pointed to the sky ;
* * * * *
The showman chooses well hte place — 'tis Leicester's busy square.'*
The attention of the late Metropolitan Board of Works
was drawn to the state of the square in 1863, when it was
proposed to build a market on the enclosure, and the Bill
was successfully opposed. Subsequently the Board, under
the provisions of the Gardens in Towns Act, 1863, took
steps with a view to taking charge of the garden. Mr.
Tulk, who claimed a right of property in the garden, denied
the Board's right to interfere, and commenced an action in
* Wordsworth, ' Star-gazers.'
476
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
1865. After many delays, the action was tried, and verdict
given against the Board in 1867. This was appealed against,
but after appeal the judges decided that Leicester Square
did not come within the scope of the Gardens in Towns
Act, inasmuch as there had been no irrevocable setting apart
The Last of the Old Horse, Leicester Square.
or dedication of the ground to the public use. The result of
this was that a Bill was prepared to vest the garden in the
Board, and shortly before the Leicester Square Act, 1874,
was passed, the following letter was received from Mr. Albert
Grant, then M.P. for Kidderminster (afterwards Baron
Grant) :
LEICESTER SQUARE 477
4 To the Chairman and Members of the Metropolitan Board of
Works.
'41, QUEEN'S GATE TERRACE,
'SOUTH KENSINGTON, W.,
''January 21, 1874.
' GENTLEMEN,
' The deplorable state of Leicester Square has for
years drawn the attention of the inhabitants of London to
the absolute necessity of something being done to remove a
state of things discreditable to the Metropolis.
' Accordingly various attempts from time to time have
been made to acquire the rights of the freeholders of the
square, but hitherto without success.
' The idea that the square could be converted into building
land has, under this impression, induced the persons holding
the ownership constantly to refuse to sell their rights, except
for such an enormous sum, based on its value per foot as
building land, as to render acquisition impracticable.
' Notwithstanding these discouragements, for some months
past my agents have been in negotiation with the various
owners, having for object the purchase of their interests in
the square, with a view to my handing the same to the
Metropolitan Board of Works — after 1 had laid out the
grounds — as a gift to the Metropolis.
' During the later negotiations the decision of the Master
of the Rolls came, decreeing the land ,not to be available for
building, but bound to be kept as an open space.
' The owners were entitled to take, and in fact did take,
the necessary preliminary steps to appeal against this
decision, a course which might have involved a delay of two
years before the decision of the ultimate Court of Appeal
could be obtained, or the alternative of the Metropolitan
Board of Works, in the event of their being authorized by
Parliament to acquire the square compulsorily, being obliged
to pay for the land on the basis of a possibility of the decree
not being sustained, in which case a comparatively high
valuation might by a jury have been awarded to the owners.
478 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
' As you are aware, a meeting of the various occupiers of
houses in Leicester Square was held, at which it was re-
solved to apply to the Metropolitan Board of Works to ask
them to lodge a Bill in the next session of Parliament to
obtain power to buy the site, with a view to their placing the
square in proper repair.
1 Notwithstanding that the period for lodging the Bill,
according to the standing orders of the Houses of Parliament,
was past, your Board decided to comply with the request,
and accordingly the notice of application for an Act has
been duly advertised.
' Meantime, the effect of the decision of the Master of the
Rolls was to make the owners moderate considerably their
views as to the amount they would accept for the surrender
of their rights whatever they were, and ultimately I came to
terms, and on the 5th instant acquired all the rights — viz.,
one undivided moiety or seven-fourteenths — owned by the
principal proprietor, Mr. J. A. Tulk, and with such rights
possession of the square.
' I am also in negotiation for the acquisition of the other
seven-fourteenths which are vested in various persons, but
who, having now, according to the decision of the Master of
the Rolls, only a nominal right, will no doubt come to
satisfactory terms with me for a sale and surrender of such
rights.
' In anticipation of these arrangements, I had plans pre-
pared by my architect, Mr. James Knowles, for laying out
the grounds as a public garden, and these plans are being
carried out by Mr. John Gibson, who, as the designer of the
Subtropical Gardens at Battersea, and other works, is
favourably known ; it is also my intention to enclose the
square by a handsome railing, and in the centre to place an
ornamental fountain, both specially designed for the purpose,
and to provide seats for the public capable of accommodating
about 200 persons.
' I further intend to erect at the four corners granite
pedestals, on which busts in marble, of a suitable size, will
LEICESTER SQUARE 479
be placed of the following celebrated men, all known to
have been locally connected with the traditions of Leicester
Square.
' These will be : Hogarth and Sir Joshua Reynolds, both
of whom lived and died in houses in the square; Dr. Samuel
Johnson, the friend and constant visitor of Sir Joshua
Reynolds ; and Sir Isaac Newton, who lived in Leicester
Place, adjoining the square, for many years after he became
President of the Royal Society — men who, it will be admitted,
are worthy of being illustrated by the sculptor's art, but who
have not, that I am aware, of, yet received any recognition of
their greatness in that form in any public open space in
London.
' These busts have been entrusted by me for execution to
the following well-known sculptors, viz., that of Sir Joshua
Reynolds to Mr. H. Weekes, R.A. ; Hogarth to Mr. J.
Durham, A. R.A; Sir Isaac Newton to Mr. W. C. Marshall,
R.A. ; and Dr. Johnson to Mr. T. Woolner, A. R.A. ; and I
have every reason to hope they will prove to be at once
worthy of the men represented and representing them.
' Workmen have already commenced on the ground in the
square, and all works are to be finished at the latest by the
I5th of June next.
' By that time I trust the Metropolitan Board of Works
will have obtained their Act, empowering them to take over
the square on behalf of the public.
' I shall then have much pleasure in signing — I hope in
the square itself — a deed of transfer to the Metropolitan
Board of Works, as a free gift to the Metropolis, of what
will then be a public garden, fitted up in a way which will,
I trust, illustrate how much may be done towards embellish-
ing London through her many public squares and other open
spaces.
' I think it right, in conclusion, to add that should,
contrary to my expectation, any of the remaining holders
not have arranged with me for the sale of their rights by
the time the Act for the compulsory acquisition of the square
480 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
has been passed, and upon the Metropolitan Board of Works
putting their powers into force for acquiring such rights, I
will pay the amount which may become payable under such
compulsory purchase, so that the square may vest in the
Metropolitan Board of Works free of cost to them.
' I am, etc.,
' (Signed) ALBERT GRANT.'
There could have been no doubt in accepting this munifi-
cent offer, and except for changing the bust of Dr. Johnson
for that of the eminent surgeon, John Hunter, this scheme
was carried out in its entirety. The chief ornament of the
handsome central fountain is a statue of Shakespeare, the
whole executed in white marble, and an immense improve-
ment on the old golden horse. The opening day was fixed
for July 2, 1874, and the square was as gay on that day as
ever it had been. Flags were flying everywhere, and the
ceremony took place in one of the many pavilions erected
for the occasion. And so the hoardings which used to
flaunt with tattered advertisements are gone, the bulged and
battered railings have been renewed in graceful modern guise,
and there are flowers and grass on what was formerly the
refuse-heap of the neighbourhood.
Leicester Square can boast of having been the abode of
two illustrious painters, Hogarth and Sir Joshua Reynolds,
many of whose masterpieces are now lodged in the National
Gallery, within a stone's-throw of their former studios.
Hogarth was associated for the greater part of his life with
the square. He was apprenticed to a silversmith in Cran-
bourne Alley, and no doubt in his apprentice days spent
most of his spare time in Leicester Fields, ' with his master's
sickly child hanging its head over his shoulder.'* When
he started in business on his own account, he gave up
engraving on silver for the higher branch of the art on
copper, and obtained much work in the way of book illus-
* Smith, 'Nollekens and his Times,' vol. i., pp. 46, 47 ; quoted in Tom
Taylor's ' Leicester Square.'
LEICESTER SQUARE
481
tration. He found engraving, however, such a miserable
profession that he forsook it for portrait-painting, but he
first came into prominence through his satirical and moral
sketches, on which his fame rests. His house in Leicester
Square was distinguished by the sign of the Golden Head
(a bust of Vandyck), which he had made himself from carved
pieces of cork, glued together and gilded. This was succeeded
Statue of George I. and Hogarth's House, 1790.
by a plaster head, and afterwards by a bust of Newton. The
fashionable life of Leicester Square, in the garden enclosure
of which he was often seen in his scarlet roquelaure, gave
him plenty of opportunities for studying the ways of society,
which he so mercilessly satirized. The last scene of his
eventful life took place in Leicester Square. He had
returned, on October 25, 1764, from his country villa at
482 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Chiswick to his house in the square, and, exhausted from
his journey, he found a letter from Dr. Franklin, to which
he drafted an answer. On retiring to bed he was seized
with a vomiting fit, upon which he summoned his house-
keeper, and died in her presence some two hours afterwards.
After his death his widow still kept up the house, taking
in lodgers, chiefly artists, for a living, and his housekeeper,
Mary Lewis, sold prints here.
The site of Hogarth's house, marked with a memorial
tablet, is now used for Archbishop Tenison's Grammar
School, founded in 1685 by Tenison, Vicar of St. Martin's-
in-the-Fields, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury. It
was formerly in Castle Street, immediately behind the
National Gallery, but when that street was pulled down the
school was transferred to Leicester Square. This house
only dates from 1870, when the Sabloniere Hotel, which
succeeded Hogarth's occupation, was pulled down to make
room for it. Tradition says that Hogarth's studio was used
as the billiard-room of the hotel.
From Hogarth's house a walk across the square brings
us to another painter's home, that of Sir Joshua Reynolds,
'now used as Puttick and Simpson's auction-rooms. He
was at the height of his fame as a portrait-painter when he
came to Leicester Square in 1760. Thus, for four years
these two painters, Hogarth and Reynolds, both great in
the respective branches of their art, lived opposite one
another in the same square. But there could not have
been much sympathy between them. ' Hogarth, whose own
efforts as a portrait-painter were little appreciated in his
lifetime, must have chafed at the carriages which blocked
up the doorway of his more fortunate brother ; and Reynolds,
courtly amiable though he was, capable of indulgence even
to such a raw caricaturist as Bunbury, could find for his
illustrious rival, when he came to deliver his famous Four-
teenth Discourse, no warmer praise than that of "successful
attention to the ridicule of life."'* Sir Joshua was as
* Austin Dobson in English Illustrated Magazine, August, 1886.
LEICESTER SQUARE
483
famous in his time for his dinners and drawing-room parties
as for his skill in painting. These fashionable receptions
attracted to Leicester Square the leading men of the day,
Dr. Johnson, the poet Goldsmith, Garrick, and Burke, being
amongst the painter's most intimate friends. There was
something in the man apart from his genius — his patience, his
geniality, his imperturbability of temper — which made him
the confidant of all these great men. His biographer, North-
cote, could write of him, ' If the devil was on his back, no one
would learn it from his face,' and we can believe him in
Staircase in Sir J . Reynolds' s House, Leicester Square.
this ; though when he comes to write that ' to the grandeur,
the truth, and simplicity of Titian, and to the daring
strength of Rembrandt, he has united the chasteness and
delicacy of Vandyck,' we fear that his admiration for the
great master has exceeded his prudence. Upon the founda-
tion of the Royal Academy, in 1768, the post of honour as
President was unanimously given to Reynolds, who was
thereupon knighted by George III. Like Hogarth, the last
scenes of his life are connected with the square. One very
pathetic incident endears him at once to us. He had lost the
31—2
484 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
sight of one of his eyes, and had been compelled to give up
painting. During this enforced idleness he had tamed a
canary, which had one morning flown out of the window,
and Sir Joshua might have been seen pacing the garden
enclosure for hours with a green shade over his eyes, in the
hopes of recovering his lost pet.* It is but a few years to
the last scene of all. On July 23, 1792, he breathed his
last in Leicester Square, and was accorded a splendid state
funeral in St. Paul's Cathedral. The bust in the square,
though less pretentious than this state ceremony, is a more
lasting memorial to one of the most illustrious personages
it is ever likely to have within its walks.
From Reynolds we must pass to another genius whose
bust also adorns the square. This is the eminent surgeon
John Hunter. He had passed the prime of life when, in
1783, finding his anatomical collection increasing so rapidly,
he had to look out for larger premises, and so moved from
Earl's Court to Leicester Square. The house he occupied
was next to Hogarth's, but the caricaturist had been dead
twenty years when Hunter and his museum entered upon
the scene. Among other things he did in the ten years he
lived in the square was to have his portrait painted by
Sir Joshua, in which he is shown sitting at a table in a
reverie, with sufficient background to determine his pro-
fession. In the garden of his house he built a museum in
which to place his collection (without an equal in any other
country), which was purchased by the Government after his
death, and handed over to the Royal College of Surgeons,
where Reynolds' portrait of him is now hung. He died,
not in the square, but at St. George's Hospital. It appears
that he was annoyed at something said at a Board meeting
of the hospital, and left the room to control his rage, and
immediately, with a sudden groan, fell dead into the arms
of a friend standing by. He is buried in the vault beneath
the Church of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, and his statue on
the facade of the University of London is one of twenty
* Tom Taylor, ' History of Leicester Square,' pp. 374, 375.
LEICESTER SQUARE 485
placed there in honour of the most distinguished men in
philosophy, science, and letters that the world has ever
known.
The remaining bust is that to Sir Isaac Newton, who
did not actually reside in the square, but in St. Martin's
Street. His house is in a neglected condition, and may
easily be distinguished by the memorial tablet affixed to it.
Newton was nearly seventy when he came to reside here in
1710. He was chiefly distinguished then by his official titles
of Master of the Mint and President of the Royal Society.
If Leicester Square had no other inhabitants to boast of,
the names of these four men would have made it famous.
But the list of celebrities who at one time or another lived
here is a very lengthy one, so that we can do no more than
make a passing mention of their names.*
Commencing with noblemen and prelates, we have Dr.
Lloyd, Bishop of St. Asaph in 1681 ; in 1683 the (second)
Earl of Strafford writes from Leicester Fields to the
(second) Earl of Clarendon. The law is represented by
Lord Chancellor Somers (died in "1716), and the poets by
Dryden. Painters are very numerous, for, in addition to
Hogarth and Reynolds, there are William Aikman, the
portrait-painter (died 1731) ; Sir James Thornhill, whose
daughter Hogarth married; and Theodore Gardelle, the
enamellist and portrait-painter, who murdered his landlady,
Mrs. King, in 1761. After the death of Hunter, another
surgeon lived and died in the square (1800), Cruikshank,
who attended both Dr. Johnson and Sir Joshua ; and with
his name we can associate that of Sir Charles Bell, who
discovered the ' distinction of the nerves of sensation and
motion, a discovery deserving to be classed, in the opinion
of Miiller, the famous German physiologist, with Harvey's
of the circulation of the blood. 'f Thomas Dibdin, the song-
* For the details of this list we are indebted to the excellent article on
Leicester Square in ' London : Past and Present,' Wheatley and Cunning-
ham, vol. ii., p. 382.
f Tom Taylor, ' Leicester Square,' p. 437.]
486 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
writer, built his Sans-Souci Theatre in Leicester Square, on the
ground now occupied by the Hotel de Paris et de 1' Europe.
Edmund Kean, when little more than a child, distinguished
himself here by readings and recitations. Newton's house
was afterwards the home of Dr. Burney, the musician, and
father of Fanny Burney.*
In the present day, when royalty have deserted Leicester
Square, when there are no fashionable painters or men of
scientific genius to shed their brilliance around, perhaps it is
chiefly associated with its two great music-halls, the Empire
and the Alhambra. The Empire, as we have seen, is on the
site of Savile House. The Alhambra was originally erected
as a rival to the Polytechnic Institution, and was called the
Panopticon of Science and Art. This is not the only place
in the square to remind us that the general public is more
interested in ballets than in scientific museums. The
Panopticon building was sold in 1857, and converted into
a circus and music-hall under its present name. This
building was burnt down in September, 1883, but was at
once rebuilt, to the delight of the admirers of the terpsicho-
rean art.
* Tom Taylor, ' Leicester Square,' p. 225.
CHAPTER XXV.
LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS— RED LION SQUARE.
LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS.
LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS is often described as one
of the largest and finest squares in the world,
a character which it well deserved in the past,
and which it may attain to in the future. At
present it may be considered as in a transitional state, for
many of the fine houses on the western side, having become
too decayed and unsuitable for modern purposes, are being
replaced by huge sets of chambers. The contrast between
the sombre gravity of these dingy mansions and the bright
and staring newness of their successors is painfully apparent;
but perhaps it is not too late to hope that this side of the
square will at some future date be restored to its earlier
dignity.
After having been enclosed for years as a private garden
for the use of the few residents in the houses of the square,
it has now been converted to its former use as a public spot
for recreation. There are many who affirm that the public
ought never to have been excluded, and in nearly all the old
maps of the district the Fields are shown as apparently
common land, intersected with public footpaths. It must
be a matter of congratulation to London generally that this
fine garden has been added to the number of its recreation-
grounds, where it is possible to step out of the whirl of life
and dream for a few moments of the charm and repose of
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
the country. The glory of Lincoln's Inn Fields is the
number and size of its fine plane-trees, which seem to thrive
on the smoke and fog of London. In 1843 the garden was
nearly lost to the public, when the late Sir Charles Barry
prepared a magnificent design for the new Law Courts,
which he proposed to erect in the centre of Lincoln's Inn
Fields.
The struggle for the acquisition of Lincoln's Inn Fields
was a difficult and lengthy matter. The trustees were
approached with this object in view in 1890, but they stated
that the terms of their Act prevented them from allowing
Lincoln's Inn. (From a drawing by Herbert Railton.)
the gardens to be used by the public, and that no other Act
would enable them to do so except the Metropolitan Open
Spaces Act, 1881 ; but they were satisfied that it would be
quite impossible for them to obtain the necessary consent to
the proposed arrangement.
The Act referred to by the trustees was the 8 Geo. II.,
1735, by which they were to preserve and maintain the Fields,
and had power to levy a rate for the purpose. As, therefore,
Parliamentary powers were necessary to enable the trustees
to make arrangements for the admission of the public, the
London County Council decided in November, 1891, to
LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS
489
insert a provision in their next General Powers Bill for the
purchase of the land by agreement ; but when the Bill was
considered by the Committee of the House of Commons, it
was decided (in the absence of four of the members) that
' so much of the preamble as refers to Lincoln's Inn Fields
is not proved.' The Committee, however, desired the chair-
Gateivay, Lincoln's Inn Fields.
man to state that they would see with pleasure the opening
of Lincoln's Inn Fields, but that they declined to override
the provisions of the Metropolitan Open Spaces Act of 1881.
As these steps to arrive at a voluntary agreement had
failed, the only course that remained was to apply for
compulsory powers to acquire the gardens in the usual
490 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
way, which involved the liability to purchase, unless other-
wise agreed, any estate in the land which might be a subject
measure for compensation. A clause was accordingly inserted
in the Open Spaces Bill of 1893 for the acquisition of
Lincoln's Inn Fields. This Bill successfully passed the
Committee of the House of Commons, but the Select
Committee of the House of Lords, after hearing counsel
and witnesses for and against the proposal, decided to
strike out the portion relating to Lincoln's Inn Fields.
Each rejection of this clause involved a delay of a year,
and the hope of acquisition now seemed as far off as at the
commencement ; but the London County Council decided
to make a third attempt, and to once more introduce in its
1894 Bill a clause on the lines passed by the House of
Commons.
After negotiations with the trustees, the purchase-money
was fixed at £12,000, which certainly seemed somewhat
high, having regard to the limitations named in the Act of
Parliament ; but as no other terms were obtainable, the
desirableness of the acquisition outweighed other con-
siderations, and the clause in the London County Council
(Improvements) Act, 1894, was framed on these lines. It
was provided that this amount should be paid into court, for
payment to such claimants as might legally prove their title
to receive compensation. The Bill received the Royal Assent
on August 17, and possession was obtained on November 7,
1894. The legal costs and stamp duty, amounting to about
£1,000, made the total cost of acquiring this garden, which
is 73- acres in extent, £13,000. It was formally opened to
the public by Sir John Hutton, the Chairman of the London
County Council for that year, on Saturday, February 23,
On approaching this noble square from the neighbourhood
of Clare Market, we come across a small establishment
which couples the information that it is ' The Old Curiosity
Shop immortalized by Charles Dickens ' with the announce-
ment that the highest prices are given for white and coloured
LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS
491
rags, bones, waste paper, etc. This combination of the
romantic and the practical is one of the characteristics of
the historic houses of Lincoln's Inn Fields. What were
formerly the mansions of Prime Ministers, Lord Chancellors,
and nobility of every degree, are now split up into in-
v^
' ;*:^
' The Old Curiosity Shop,' Lincoln's Inn Fields.
numerable chambers and offices for the lights of the legal
profession. Lincoln's Inn Fields went originally by the
name of Picket's Field, Fikattesfeld, or Ficetsfeld, which
name may have been derived from some very remote owner.
This was in 1657 divided into two fields ; the dividing-line
passing through the site of the present square would stretch
492
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
from about the centre of the Soane Museum to the centre of
the College of Surgeons. The land on the east side of this
line was called Cupfield, and that on the west side Pursefield.
From time immemorial it has been a place devoted to the
recreation of the students of Lincoln's Inn and the general
public.
In all early deeds it is referred to as a field or fields, and
it was probably laid out with walks at a very remote period.
An ancient petition presented to Parliament during the Inter -
/ L^Hs^s -— /^PI s'*:pj ~- •'i^Jcv "\
Lincoln's Inn Fields in 1560. (From Ralph Aggas's map.)
regnum gives us some interesting particulars as to the uses
to which it was put in the reign of Edward III. This
petition states that it appears from record that ' in those
times ' (about 1376) ' this field was a common walking and
sporting place for the clerks of the Chancery, apprentices,
and students of the law, and citizens of London ; and that
upon a clamorous complaint made by them unto the King,
that one Roger Leget, had privily laid and hid many iron
engines called caltrappes, as well in the bottome as the top
LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS 493
of a certaine trench in Fiket's Fields ' (i.e., Lincoln's Inn
Fields), * neere the Bishop of Chichester's house, where the
said clerkes, apprentices, and other men of the said city, had
wont to have their common passage, in which place he knew
that they daily exercised their common walks and disports,
with a malicious and malevolent intent, that all who came
upon the said trench should be maimed or else most griev-
iously hurt ; which engines were found by the foresaid
clerkes, apprentices, and others passing that way, and
brought before the King's councell, in the Chapter-house of
the Friars, preachers of London, and there openly shewed ;
that hereupon the said Roger was brought before the said
councell to answer the premises ; and being there examined
by the said councell, confessed his said fault and malice
in manner aforesaid, and thereupon submitted himselfe to
the King and his councell. Whereupon the said Roger was
sent to the King's prison of the Fleete, there to expect the
King's grace.' The petition then concludes ' that any device
to interrupt or deprive such clerks, and citizens, of their free
common walking or disport there, is a nuisance and offence
punishable by the King and his councell by fine and long
imprisonment ; and that the King and councell have ever
been very careful of preserving the liberties and interests
of the lawyers and citizens in these fields, for their cure and
refreshment.'* As in course of time London began to
enlarge its bounds, and land thereby became more valuable,
owners of property in Lincoln's Inn Fields began to erect
buildings here, which were of a mixed character. A pro-
posal to add more led to the Lords of the Privy Council
sending a protest to the county justices in September, 1613.
Five years later James I. granted a commission to Francis
Bacon, Lord Chancellor, and others, ' to reduce Lincoln's
Inn Fields into walks,' his idea being to make it like Moor-
fields. The Commissioners had the aid of the King's
architect, Inigo Jones, who only lived to design the west
side, which was called the Arch Row. His work can easily
* Quoted in ' History of St. Giles's-in-the-Fields,' J. Parton, 1822, p. 140.
494 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
be distinguished by the carved roses and fleurs-de-lys which
ornament the houses, and by the stone pilasters and capitals
on a brick ground, of which he was very fond. We shall
have occasion to refer later on to his architectural work here,
but we can gather from the terms of this commission some
description of the Fields at this time. It showed ' that the
grounds called Lincoln' Inn Fields were then much planted
round with dwellings and lodgings of noblemen and men of
qualitie ; but at the same time it was deformed by cottages
and mean buildings, encroachments on the field, and
nuisances to the neighbourhood.' The Commissioners were
therefore directed to reform those grievances, and ' according
to their discretion to frame and reduce those fields called
" Cup Field and Purse Field," both for sweetness, uniformitie
and comeliness, into such walkes, partitions or other plottes,
and in such sorte, manner and forme, both for publique
health and pleasure, as by the said Inigo Jones, etc., is or
accordingly shall be done by the way of map.'* It is a
popular tradition that the square was reduced to the size
of the base of the Great Pyramid, but the fallacy of this is
seen at once in comparing the respective areas. The troubles
of the succeeding reign prevented the improvement works
being completed, and laid the way open for more building.
This led to the petition before referred to, which resulted
in a peremptory proclamation by Oliver Cromwell, dated
Whitehall, August n, 1656 :
' Upon consideration of the Humble Petition of the
Society of Lincoln's Inn, and of divers persons of quality,
inhabitants in and about the fields, heretofore called by the
several names of Pier's Field,t Cup Field, and Fitchet's
Field, and now known by the name of Lincoln's Inn Fields,
adjoining to the said Society . . . setting forth among other
things that divers persons have prepared very great store of
bricks for the erecting of new buildings upon the said Fields ;
Ordered by his Highness the Lord Protector and the Council
* Quoted in ' History of St. Giles's-in-the-Fields,' J. Parton, 1822, p. 141.
f Called ' Purse Field ' in the commission of James I.
LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS
495
that there be a stay of all
further buildings . . . and that
it be recommended to the
Justices of the Peace for the
City of Westminster and
liberties thereof to take care
that there be no such new
buildings, nor proceeding in any
such buildings already begun.'
In the following year the
unfinished state of the square
was taken into consideration,
and an agreement was accord-
ingly entered into between Sir
William Cowper, Bart., Robert
Henley, and James Cowper,
who had taken a lease of these
and other fields for building
purposes, and the Society of
Lincoln's Inn. One of the
clauses states ' that the said
Society of Lincoln's Inn were
interested in the benefit and
advantage of the prospect and
air of the said field, but were
willing and contented ' that the
parties to whom the building
was to be entrusted ' might
proceed in their said design
and undertaking . . . with such
caution and provision for the
beautifying and adorning of the
said intended building, and for
levelling and plaining the said
field, and casting the same into
walks, and for prevention of any
future building thereupon.' In
496
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
pursuance of these arrangements, a grant was made to Sir
Lislebon Long, and other trustees, of ' all the rest, residue
or body of the said field therein called Cop Field, alias Cup
Field . . . not to be built on ' for a term of 900 years.*
The previous history of the ownership is very obscure.
Lincoln's Inn Fields, circa 1780.
At the earliest time of which there is any record, Fikattes-
feld was the property of the Knights Templars, and it is
often called in old deeds Campus Templariorum. They built
the Old Temple on the site of Southampton Buildings in
* Quoted in ' History of St. Giles's-in-the-Fields,' J. Parton, 1822, p. 143.
LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS 497
the reign of Stephen, but in the succeeding reign they com-
menced a nobler structure opposite the end of what is now
Chancery Lane. This they called the New Temple, the
church of which was finished and dedicated in 1185.* The
Templars were succeeded by the Order of Black Friars,
who were granted a piece of ground ' without the wall of
the City of Oldborne [Holborn] near unto the old Temple,'
in 1 22 1, upon which they built a monastery facing Holborn.
When that community removed to the district now called
Blackfriars, their house and grounds were granted to Henry
Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, from whom we obtain the name of
Lincoln's Inn. He built his mansion-house here on the site
now occupied by Lincoln's Inn, and some particulars of his
grounds maybe gathered from a record preserved in the Duchy
of Lancaster Office relating to the profits and expenditure
of the Earl's garden. We learn from this curious document
that apples, pears, large nuts, and cherries, were produced
in sufficient quantities not only to supply his table, but also
to yield a profit by their sale. The amount realized by one
year's sale equalled about £135 of modern currency. The
vegetables cultivated in this garden were beans, onions,
garlic, leeks, and some others not specially named. Hemp
was also grown, and cuttings of the vines were sold, from
which it may be gathered that the Earl's trees were held in
some estimation. The only flowers named are roses, of
which many were sold, and it also appears that there was
a pond stocked with pike, for which frogs, eels, and small
fish were purchased. t The Earl died without issue in 1310,
and in the same year the Society of Lincoln's Inn was
founded, but how the property became theirs is not
apparent.
The several acts and mandates to which reference has
been made did not put an end to the nuisances that had
been complained of, because the space was not properly
enclosed. In very early times the Fields had been the
* 'History of St. Giles's-in-the-Fields,' J. Parton, 1822, p. 178.
f Spilsbury, 'Lincoln's Inn,' 1850, pp. 32, 35.
32
498
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
scene of several executions. The fourteen conspirators
who had plotted to assassinate Queen Elizabeth and set
free Mary Queen of Scots were executed here. This
attempt was known as the Babington Conspiracy, and in
September, 1586, having been found guilty, they were all
' hanged, bowelled, and quartered, in Lincoln's Inn Fields,
on a stage or scaffold of timber, strongly made for that
purpose, even in the place where they used to meete and to
Lincoln's Inn Fields in 1658. (From Newcourt's map.)
conferre of their traitourous practices.'* Nearly a hundred
years after, on July 21, 1683, William, Lord Russell, was
executed here on the charge of being concerned in the
Rye House Plot. It has been said that the Duke of York
moved that he might be executed in Southampton Square,
before his own house, but the King rejected that as indecent.
So Lincoln's Inn Fields was the place appointed for his
* Stow's Annals, p. 1236.
LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS 499
execution.* A brass tablet has been placed in the shelter
in the centre of the Fields to mark the exact spot. Through
these Fields, in the reign of Charles II., Thomas Sadler, a
well-known thief, attended by his confederates, made his
mock procession at night, with the mace and purse of the
Lord Chancellor Finch, which they had stolen from the
Chancellor's closet in Great Queen Street, immediately
adjoining, and were carrying to their lodging in Knightrider
Street. One of the confederates walked before Sadler with
the mace of the Lord Chancellor exposed on his shoulder,
and another followed after him, carrying the Chancellor's
purse, equally prominent. Sadler was executed at Tyburn
for this theft, t
For another fifty years after these events these Fields were
the haunt of several worthless characters. Cripples of all
kinds made this a regular hunting-ground ; not content with
extorting money by the display of their apparent misfor-
tunes, they took to intimidating passers-by with their
crutches. The literature of the seventeenth century con-
tains frequent allusions to the ' mumpers ' and ' rufflers ' of
Lincoln's Inn Fields, which were the names given to these
idle vagrants. An extract from the London Spy describes
how a party of visitors ' went into the Lame Hospital, where
a parcel of wretches were hopping about by the assistance
of their crutches, like so many Lincoln's Inn Fields mum-
pers drawing into a body to attack the coach of some
charitable lord.' The ' rufflers ' were beggars who assumed
the character of maimed soldiers, and imposed upon the
credulity of sympathetic passers-by. It was in Lincoln's
Inn Fields that ' Lilly, the astrologer, when a servant at
Mr. Wright's, at the corner house over against Strand
bridge, spent his idle hours in bowling with Wat the cobler,
Dick the blacksmith, and such like companions.' Another
sport in connection with this place is mentioned by Locke,
* Burnet, ' Own Times,' edition 1823, vol. ii., p. 377.
f Wheatley and Cunningham, ' London : Past and Present,3 vol. ii.,
P- 393-
32—2
500 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
in his directions for a foreigner visiting England, who could
see 'wrestling in Lincoln's Inn Fields all the summer.'*
We have another allusion to the dangers of this spot in
Gay's ' Trivia ' :
' Where Lincoln's Inn wide space is rail'd around,
Cross not with venturous step ; there oft is found
The lurking thief, who, while the daylight shone,
Made the walls echo with his begging tone ;
That crutch, which late compassion mov'd, shall wound
Thy bleeding head, and fell thee to the ground.
Though thou art tempted by the linkman'st call,
Yet trust him not along the lonely wall ;
In the mid-Way he'll quench the flaming brand,
And share the booty with the pilfering band.
Still keep the public streets where oily rays,
Shot from the crystal lamp, o'erspread the ways.'
The rail referred to in these lines was only a wooden post
and rail, not the present iron fencing.
In 1735 the inhabitants obtained an Act for a more rigid
enclosure of the square, which, in spite of the measures
formerly adopted, the Act states ' had for some years then
last past lain waste and in great disorder, whereby the same
had become a receptacle for rubbish, dirt, and nastiness of
all sorts, brought thither and laid not only by the inhabitants
of the said Fields, but many others, which had not been
removed or taken away by the several scavengers of the
parishes wherein the said Fields are situate as aforesaid ; but
also, for want of proper fences to inclose the same, great
mischiefs had happened to many of His Majesty's subjects
going about their lawful occasions, several of whom had
been killed, and others maimed and hurt, by horses which
had been from time to time aired and rode in the said Fields ;
and by reason of the said Fields being kept open many wicked
and disorderly persons had frequented and met together
therein, using unlawful sports and games, and drawing in
and enticing young persons into gaming, idleness, and other
* ' London : Past and Present,' vol. ii., p. 394.
f A man carrying a link, or torch, to show the way.
LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS 501
vicious courses, and vagabonds, common beggars, and other
disorderly persons, resorted therein, where many robberies,
assaults, outrages, and enormities, had been and continually
were committed.'
Perhaps an extract from a newspaper, dated June 7, 1733,
may throw some light upon this clause. It states that ' Yes-
terday in the evening His Honour the Master of the Rolls,
crossing Lincoln's Inn Fields, was rode over by a boy who was
airing an horse there, by which accident he was much bruised.'
There is a marked similarity in the wording of these two
paragraphs, which makes it more than probable that ' His
Honour ' played an important part in obtaining the Act.
A further clause goes on to state ' that the south, west, and
north parts of the said Fields were incompassed wifli houses,
many of which were inhabited by the owners and proprietors
thereof, who with the other inhabitants could not go to and
from their respective habitations in the night season without
danger, and therefore were desirous to prevent any mischiefs
for the future, and to enclose, clean, repair, and beautify
the said Fields in a graceful manner, and were willing and
desirous that an adequate contribution might for that pur-
pose be raised by and amongst themselves.' The Act
further empowered the trustees to levy a rate on the
inhabitants and owners of the houses in the square, not
exceeding 2s. 6d. in the pound, for its maintenance.
The square was laid out under the terms of this Act,
completely railed in, planted with trees, and traversed by
walks in diagonal directions. In the centre was a pond
or reservoir of water. The square was reached by two
entrances from Holborn, named Great and Little Turnstile,
which sufficiently denote their character, while Gate Street
was a way through a gate to admit horses and carriages.
These ancient names, it is hardly necessary to add, are still
preserved, although the turnstiles and the gate have disap-
peared. About the year 1820 a fresh laying-out of the
garden was rendered necessary, when it assumed its present
form.
502
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
To come now to consider some of the historical buildings
in Lincoln's Inn Fields, we will commence with the west
side, formerly called the Arch Row. Lindsay House, No. 59,
was built by Inigo Jones, for the Earl of Lindsay, who was
the Royalist commander at the outbreak of civil war under
Charles I., killed at the Battle of Edgehill. The fourth
Earl of Lindsay was created Duke of Ancaster, and the
name of the mansion was changed to Ancaster House. It
was subsequently purchased by the proud Duke of Somerset.
Archway, Sardinia Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields.
* Old Somerset is at last dead. . . . To Lady Frances, the
eldest, he has conditionally given the fine house built by
Inigo Jones in Lincoln's Inn Fields, which he had bought
of the Duke of Ancaster for the Duchess, hoping that his
daughter will let her mother live with her.'* The external
features of the house are the same, except that the urns
which formerly ornamented the balustrade along the front
of the roof have disappeared.
* H. Walpole to Mann, December 15, 1748, vol. ii., p. 137.
LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS
503
Powis House, No. 67, at the corner of Great Queen
Street, was built in 1686, by William Herbet, Viscount
Montgomery and Marquis of Powis, on the site of a former
house, which was destroyed by fire. The architect was
Captain William Winde. This house also changed its
name when it was sold to Holies, Duke of Newcastle,
Prime Minister in the reign of George II., when it was called
Lindsay or Ancaster House, Lincoln's Inn Fields.
Newcastle House. A good story is told in connection with
this house, which is said to have put an end to the expen-
sive custom of ' vailsgiving,' or the feeing of all the servants,
who used to assemble in the hall on the departure of guests.
' Sir Timothy Waldo, on his way from the Duke's dinner-
table to his carriage, put a crown into the hand of the cook,
who returned it, saying : " Sir, I do not take silver." " Don't
you, indeed ?" said Sir Timothy, putting it in his pocket ;
504
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
"then I do not give gold.'"* In latter years (1827-1879)
this house was the head-quarters of the Society for Promoting
Christian Knowledge, now in Northumberland Avenue. A
Newcastle House, Lincoln's Inn Fields.
gloomy archway (said to be the work of Inigo Jones) leads
to Sardinia Street, formerly Duke Street, on the south side
* Pugh, ' Remarkable occurrences in the Life of Jonas Hanway,' 1787,
p. 184.
LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS
505
of which is the Sardinian Roman Catholic Chapel. This
building, the oldest of its kind in London, was originally
attached to the residence of the Sardinian Ambassador.
At one time it was the chief centre of the Roman Catholic
worship, but it is now only a church for the immediate
neighbourhood. It was severely attacked and partly
destroyed in the Gordon riots of 1780.
Reverse of silver medal in the British Museum, struck to commemorate the destruction
of the Roman Catholic Chapel in Lincoln's Inn Fields in 1688. The Portuguese
Chapel is shown in ruins, whilst the Papal emblems are being burnt in the fields
in front.
The principal building on the south side, which was
formerly known as Portugal Row, is the Royal College of
Surgeons, built on the site of a house belonging to Lord
Chancellor Northington. It contains the splendid museum
of John Hunter, from whose executors it was purchased by
the Government for £ 15,000. The greater portion of the
present building was erected from the designs of Sir Charles
5o6
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Barry, but the subsequent additions to the museum have
necessitated its enlargement on more than one occasion.
One of these extensions led to the demolition of the cele-
brated Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre, which was situated at
the back of the College of Surgeons. There have been
three distinct theatres on this site. The first was originally
a tennis-court, and was converted into a theatre by Sir
William Davenant, in 1660. Pepys frequently used to go
there — in fact, so often that it made Mrs. Pepys i as mad as
College of Surgeons, Lincoln's Inn Fields.
the devil.' His opinion of it is that ' it is the finest play-
house, I believe, that ever was in England.' After the
death of Davenant it reverted to its former use, and became
a tennis-court again.
The second theatre on the same site was opened in 1695,
and is described by Gibber as * but small and poorly fitted
up within. Within the walls of a tennis-quaree court, which
is of the lesser sort.'* The third building was commenced
* Gibber, 'Apology,' edition 1740, p. 254.
LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS
507
by Christopher Rich, and opened by his son, John Rich.
This latter actor first introduced the now popular panto-
mimes here, which were a great success ; but the chief event
connected with this building was the production of the
' Beggars' Opera,' by Gay, which had so great a run ' that
it made Gay rich and Rich gay.' The theatre then had
many changes ; it was used for barracks, as a china deposi-
tory, and, finally, pulled down, as we have seen, for the
Duke's Theatre, Lincoln's Inn Fields.
enlargement of the College of Surgeons. Serle Street,
leading from this side of the square to Carey Street, derives
its name from a former proprietor, Henry Serle, who died
about 1690.
The east side of the square is occupied by the noble
buildings of Lincoln's Inn Hall and Library. This Hall,
commenced in 1843, is one of the finest in London, being
120 feet long, 45 broad, and 64 high. The oak roof, divided
into seven compartments, is a remarkable feature of the
508 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
interior. At the northern end is a fresco painted by
G. F. Watts, R.A., entitled 'The Lawgivers,' which is
unfortunately fading. This work was done by the artist
gratuitously, but when it was completed the Inn presented
him with a gold cup containing 800 sovereigns. Among
others in the fine collection of paintings here is Hogarth's
' Paul before Felix,' painted for the Society in 1750, and
removed from the old Hall. The new Hall was opened by
the Queen and Prince Consort, on October 30, 1845. The
total cost was £88,000, the architect being Philip Hard-
wick, R.A. On this side the Fields have an approach from
Chancery Lane, the gateway of red brick over the entrance
bearing the date 1518. Over this gateway Oliver Cromwell
is said to have lived for some time, and tradition also relates
that Ben Jonson worked as a common bricklayer in the
erection of the adjoining wall about 1617 ; but the truth
of this is very doubtful, as by this time he had written some
of his best plays.
The most notable building on the north side is the Soane
Museum. This was founded by a bequest of Sir John
Soane, the son of a country bricklayer, who rose to great
eminence as an architect. His chief work was the Bank
of England, and he became ultimately Professor of Archi-
tecture at the Royal Academy. The museum is crowded
from top to bottom with curiosities of every description.
There are also several masterpieces by Hogarth, Turner, and
Sir Joshua Reynolds. It is strange that this museum, which
is open free to the public, should be as little known as it is.
Parallel with this side of the Fields, and between it and
Holborn, is a narrow roadway known as Whetstone Park,
It derives its name from William Whetstone, a tobacconist,
and also overseer of this parish in the time of Charles I.
and the Commonwealth. The term ' park ' certainly seems
out of place as applied to a row of buildings chiefly consist-
ing of stables and workshops. It has borne in times past a
very bad name, owing to the resort here of loose characters.
Several references to these are to be found in the plays of
LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS
509
Dryden, and other allusions in Butler's ' Hudibras ' and the
London Spy. But Whetstone Park can boast at least one
distinguished inhabitant. Milton moved, in 1645, from a
house in Barbican, 'to a smaller house in Holborn, which
Sir John Soane's Museum, Lincoln's Inn Fields.
opened backward into Lincoln's Inn Fields.'* In this case his
garden must have been built over by these houses of ill-fame.
In giving these particulars about the most important
* Philips, ' Life of Milton.'
5io OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
buildings surrounding the Fields, we have incidentally men-
tioned some of the eminent inhabitants. The list is a very
lengthy one, including several Lord Chancellors, Chief
Justices, and Sir William Blackstone, among the legal
world ; the celebrated Duchess of Marlborough, John Locke,
William Pitt, Spencer Perceval, and several other members
of the nobility. Nell Gwynne was lodging in Lincoln's Inn
Fields when her first son, afterwards Duke of St. Albans,
was born.
Of late years the houses in this square have lost their
residential character, but Tennyson, in his unknown days,
dwelt in lofty chambers up behind the balustraded parapet
of No. 57, and he used to resort to the Cock for his quiet
five o'clock dinner.*
At No. 58 lived John Forster, the friend and biographer
of Dickens. This house is the original of Mr. Tulkinghorn's
residence described by Dickens in his ' Bleak House.' He
is another of the celebrities who have helped to make
Lincoln's Inn Fields famous, and though now shorn in
many respects of its former eminence, this historical square
may well be content to live in its past records.
RED LION SQUARE.
On the opposite side of Holborn is Red Lion Square,
half an acre in extent. Its present appearance is rather
dull, reminding one of a poor relation, as compared to the
more aristocratic squares of the West. It was built about
1698, and takes its name from the Red Lion Inn, a very
ancient hostelry, and for a long while the largest and best
frequented inn in Holborn. This was a flourishing institu-
tion long before the square was built, when its site was
merely fields. In the register of St. Andrews, Holborn,
is an entry concerning a foundling ' borne under the Redd
Lyon Elmes in the fields in High Holborn, baptized iij of
August, 1614.' London at this time only extended to about
* P. Fitzgerald, 'Picturesque London,' p. 186.
RED LION SQUARE 511
this part of Holborn. From Farringdon Street towards
Ely House and Gray's Inn Lane the ground was either
entirely vacant or occupied in gardens. From Holborn
Bridge to Red Lion Street there were houses on both sides,
but further up, near Hart Street, the road was entirely open.
There was a small colony clustered about St. Giles's Church,
which was then worthy of its additional name, ' in-the-
Fields,' and after this both to the north" and west was open
country, the present great thoroughfares being only distin-
guishable by the avenues of trees. The site of Red Lion
Square was then known as Red Lion Fields, as we have
indicated above. The first approach towards rendering it
habitable seems to have been the laying-out of a bowling-
green, and erecting a house of entertainment near it, called
the Bowling-Green House. This was built on the site of
the present square.*
This has been a public garden since 1885, and its present
appearance dates from that time when it was laid out by
the Metropolitan Gardens Association. About 150 years
before this, when the garden was in a very dirty and
neglected condition, the first attempt at any great improve-
ment was made. A newspaper paragraph about that time
mentions the subject as being then under consideration :
' Red Lion Square, in Holborn, having for some years lain
in a ruinous condition, a proposal is on foot for applying to
Parliament for power to beautify it, as the inhabitants of
Lincoln's Inn Fields have lately done.' The Act they
obtained was ' to enable the present and future proprietors
of the houses in Red Lion Square to make a rate on them-
selves for raising money sufficient to inclose, pave, watch,
clean, and adorn the said square.' It must have been in
a very bad state according to the preamble of the Act,
which runs as follows : ' Whereas the square called Red
Lion Square . . . hath for some time past lain in great
disorder, and the pales which inclose the area thereof are
so ruinous, that the said area is become a receptacle for
* J. Parton, ' History of St. Giles-in-the-Fields,' p. 188.
512 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
rubbish, dirt, and nastiness of all kinds, and an encourage-
ment to common beggars, vagabonds, and other disorderly
persons, to resort thither for the exercise of their idle
diversions, and other unwarrantable purposes.' By this
Act fifteen trustees were appointed, who had power to levy
a rate not exceeding is. 6d. in the pound on the inhabitants,
seven-tenths of which was to be paid by the tenants or
occupiers, and the remainder by the landlords.
The laying-out consisted of enclosing the area with iron
railings ; a stone watch-house was erected at each corner,
and in the centre was a stone obelisk, around which much
mystery hangs. It is said to have covered the remains of
Oliver Cromwell, Ireton, and Bradshaw. The corpses of
these regicides, as they were styled after the Restoration,
were removed in January, 1661, from Westminster Abbey
to the Red Lion, in Holborn, and left for the night. In
the morning they were removed on a sledge to Tyburn,
exhibited on the gallows, and there submitted to other
ignominious treatment. This is not disputed ; but a tradition
quoted by Rede in his anecdotes and biography goes on to
say that their mutilated remains v/ere rescued by some of
their followers, and reverently buried in this square, the
stone obelisk marking the exact spot. The leader in this
scheme is said to have been an apothecary, who had con-
siderable local influence, and at the time the square was
built managed to carry out his desires. From researches
which have been made it has been discovered that about
the time of the Restoration an apothecary of the name of
Ebenezer Heathcote was living at the King's Gate, Holborn.
He had married the daughter of one of Ireton's sub-commis-
sionaires, and perhaps this remote connection with that
soldier may have accounted for this enthusiasm on his part.
It has been pointed out that if the body of Cromwell had been
removed from the Abbey and buried in Red Lion Square,
it would not have been possible to have procured another
embalmed body to be sent in its place to Tyburn, as has
been suggested. The ' clumsy obelisk ' is said by Pennant
RED LION SQUARE 513
to have been inscribed with the following inscription :
1 Obtusum obtusioris ingenii monumentum. Quid me
respicis, viator ? Vade.'
When the first laying-out was completed, the dull effect
of the square was not much improved if we may take the
opinion of a whimsical author of 1771. He says : ' Red Lion
Square . . . has a very different effect on the mind. I never
go into it without thinking of my latter end. The rough
sod that " heaves with many a mouldering heap," the dreary
length of its sides, with the four watch-houses like so many
family vaults at the corners, and the naked obelisk that
springs from amid the rank grass like the sad monument of a
disconsolate widow for the loss of her first husband, all form
together a memento mori more powerful to me than a death's
head and cross marrow-bones; and were but a parson's bull
to be seen bellowing at the gate, the idea of a country
churchyard in my mind would be complete.'*
It was a matter of great dispute for some considerable
time between the authorities of St. Andrew, Holborn, and
St. Giles's-in-the-Fields, as to which parish Red Lion Square
was situated in. According to the vestry minutes of the
latter body in 1676 and 1777, the inhabitants seem to have
been called upon by both parties to pay rates — a luxury
which they evidently did not appreciate. Eventually the
parish of St. Andrew won the day.t
This garden was originally taken over under an agree-
ment entered into with the owners by the Metropolitan
Public Gardens Association, but so greatly did the control
of the London County Council improve the garden that the
representatives of the inhabitants determined to hand it over
to the Council, which they did in 1895 practically as a free
gift.
Among the residents at one time or another in Red Lion
Square we must mention first of all that eccentric traveller,
Mr. Jonas Hanway, who lived at No. 23. He was born at
* ' Critical Observations on the Buildings, etc., of London.'
f * History of St. Giles's-in-the-Fields,' J. Parton, p. 188.
33
RED LION SQUARE 515
Portsmouth in 1712, and made considerable voyages in the
course of his mercantile career. He had made sufficient to
retire in 1753, when he published a work of some practical
interest describing his travels in Russia. His life at home
was principally devoted to philanthropic work, the results of
which are still seen in the Marine Society and Magdalen
Hospital, both of which he founded. So great was the esti-
mation in which he was held that a deputation of merchants
waited upon Lord Bute, when Prime Minister, asking him
to bestow upon Hanway some mark of the public esteem.
As a consequence of this he was appointed a Commissioner
of the Navy. Although he is more remembered for his
philanthropy than for his authorship, it is worthy of mention-
ing that he wrote a lengthy attack upon tea, which called
forth a sarcastic defence of his favourite drink by Dr. John-
son. The principal rooms in his house were decorated with
paintings and various emblematical devices ' in a manner
peculiar to himself.' He goes on to say ' to relieve this vacuum
in social intercourse ' (i.e., the time between the assembling
of visitors and the placing of card-tables), ' and prevent cards
from engrossing the whole of my visitors' minds, I have pre-
sented them with objects the most attractive I could imagine,
and when that fails there are the cards.'* After his death in
1786 in Red Lion Square, a monument was erected to him
by public subscription. It used to be popularly supposed
that Jonas Hanway was the first to introduce the umbrella
to public notice. Mr. Peter Cunningham, in his ' Handbook
of London,' says : ' Hanway was the first man who ventured
to walk the streets of London with an umbrella over his
head. After carrying one near thirty years, he saw them
come into general use.' But the umbrella must have been
common in London in 1712, some years before Hanway
was born, for Swift, in ' A City Shower,' published in
1710, says :
' The tucked-up semstress walks with hasty strides,
While streams run down her oiled umbrella's sides ;'
* John Pugh, 'Remarkable Occurrences in the Life of Jonas Hanway,'
London, 1787.
33—2
516 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
and Gay, who is so rich in popular allusions, writes in the
following year :
' Or underneath th' umbrella's oily shed,
Safe thro' the wet on clinking pattens tread/
Another distinguished resident in Red Lion Square was
Benjamin Robert Haydon, the historical painter. He was
living here in 1838 in a large house on the west side of the
square. His life was a peculiar one, but his misfortunes
were chiefly of his own creation. Through dissatisfaction at
the way his picture of the * Murder of Dentatus ' was hung
in the Royal Academy of 1809, he spent the rest of his life
in open hostility to that body. His pictures, which were
very numerous, were mostly shown at rival exhibitions of
his own with varying success, as one of the last entries in
his diary tells us : { Tom Thumb had 12,000 people last
week, B. R. Haydon 133! (the half a little girl) Exquisite
taste of the English people.' Among his pupils he numbered
some of the most distinguished painters of the time : Sir
Edwin Landseer, Sir Charles Eastlake, and George Lance,
the fruit-painter. His works all suffer from imperfect execu-
tion, and his chief lessons must have been in what to avoid
rather than what to imitate.
Another painter, whose speciality was portraits — viz.,
Henry Mayer — lived at No. 3, and it was at this house that
Charles Lamb sat to him in 1826.
The law is represented by Lord Chief Justice Raymond,
born in 1673, died in Red Lion Square 1733. He was
created Baron Raymond, of Abbots-Langley, Herts, where
he had an estate, but the title is now extinct. In 1702 he
was counsel for the prosecution of a man named Hathaway,
who was accused of drawing blood from a supposed witch,
and his conduct of the case tended greatly to dispel the
superstitions current with regard to witchcraft.
A medical genius, James Parsons, M.D., born at Barn-
staple in 1705, resided in Red Lion Square, where his house
was for many years the centre of meeting for much of the
RED LION SQUARE 517
literary and scientific society of the period. In 1769, when
his health was failing, he moved to Bristol, but returned to
his old quarters in the following year, where he died almost
at once. He left directions that he was not to be buried
till some change appeared in the corpse, and so he was left
unburied for seventeen days.
The last inhabitant of Red Lion Square we shall mention
is Sharon Turner, the historian. He was intended in early
life for the law, but relinquished that profession to follow
historical pursuits. The success of his first work, ' History
of the Anglo-Saxons,' led him to write many others, but his
fame chiefly rests on his first work. He died in Red Lion
Square in 1847.
The chief building to notice at the present time in Red
Lion Square is the handsome Church of St. John the Evan-
gelist. This was built in 1874 from the designs of the late
Mr. J. L. Pearson, R.A., and consecrated in 1878.
Another institution worthy of mention is an ancient
Baronial Court at the north-eastern corner of the square.
This is held monthly before the Sheriff of Middlesex or his
deputy. Its powers are as great as any of the present courts
of law, while it is less expensive and more expeditious.
This court was instituted by King Alfred on dividing the
kingdom into shires, ajid continued by many statutes, in-
cluding Magna Charta. It is treated of by several eminent
legal authorities, as Judge Hale, Judge Lambert, and many
others.*
* Gentleman 's Magazine, 1829.
CHAPTER XXVI.
RAVENSCOURT PARK— SHEPHERD'S BUSH COMMON.
RAVENSCOURT PARK.
THIS pleasant little park of 32 acres is situated at
Hammersmith, and was purchased at the joint
expense of the late Metropolitan Board of Works
and the Vestry of Hammersmith in 1887 for the sum
of £58,000. It comprised a large mansion with well-timbered
grounds, meadows, and an orchard, and was therefore well
adapted for the purposes of a public park. The London
and South-Western Railway had obtained Parliamentary
power to carry their Hammersmith and Richmond line
through the park on arches, and this fact may have had
some influence in the sale of the property. This neighbour-
hood, like the rest of the suburbs near London, is being
rapidly developed for building purposes, and it is extremely
fortunate that the estate has escaped the advance of the sea
of bricks and mortar, for as far back as 1839 ^ was proposed
to build villas on the line of the present avenue. It is very
pleasant now that the ground is safe to read that ' other
parts of the park will be let off for detached villas, for which
it is particularly adapted from its secluded situation and
proximity to London.'*
Since the park was first opened, various additions have
been made chiefly for the sake of forming new entrances, so
as to give ready access from the many important thorough-
* Faulkner, 'Hammersmith,3 1839, p. 378.
RA VENSCOURT PARK 519
fares adjacent to it. A refreshment-house has been erected
and a band-stand, on which performances are given twice
a week during the season to densely - packed audiences.
Throughout the spring and summer the park is gay with
flower-beds and ornamental borders, whilst there is a large
area of lawn available for tennis and children's games.
The present mansion in the park has taken the place of
the old Manor-house of Pallenswick or Paddenswick, which
tradition connects with the name of Alice Ferrers, the fair
favourite of Edward III. She was Lady of the Bedchamber
to Queen Philippa, the worthy consort of the illustrious victor
of Cressy, and according to all accounts was a woman of
extraordinary wit and beauty. When the Queen died, this
woman obtained a great ascendancy over the enfeebled
monarch, and his once proud mind was degraded beneath
her rule. The ancient Manor of Palingswick or Paddens-
wick, which formerly belonged to John Northwyck, gold-
smith, of London, was granted in 1373 to certain trustees
on her behalf, and the manor-house became her country
seat.* The attention which Edward III. paid to her, and
the means he took to procure diversions for her, attracted
the unfavourable attention of Parliament. The climax was
reached when the King held a tournament in her honour at
Smithfield, on which occasion Alice appeared in a triumphant
chariot as ' Lady of the Sun,' attended by many ladies of
quality, each leading a knight by his horse's bridle. When
the procession reached W7est Smithfield, the tournament
began, and was continued for seven days.t This led to the
Parliament petitioning the King to remove her, which he
reluctantly did, but she was soon recalled, and after an
eventful career eventually married William Lord Windsor.
A survey of the manor was taken in 1378 upon the banish-
ment of Alice Perrers, in which the mansion is described as
being well built, in good repair, and consisting of a large
hall, a chapel, kitchen, bakehouse, stables, barns and gates.
* Faulkner, 'Hammersmith,' p.. 369.
t Barnes, ' Reign of Edward III.,' p. 872.
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
The manor also comprised two gardens, but these are
described as only worth is. 6d. a year, on account of the
apple-trees being blown down %by the wind. The remainder
was made up of 40 acres of arable land, valued at -£ i 6s. 8d.
a year; 60 acres of pasture, at 8d. an acre; and ij acres of
The Avenue, Ravenscourt Park.
meadow, valued at 55. annually, the whole being held by
copy of Court Roll under the Manor of Fulham.*
When Alice Ferrers married Lord Windsor, Richard II.
granted this manor to him in the year 1380.
The next mention we have of the manor-house is in 1572,
when it was bequeathed by John Payne to his son William,
* Faulkner, 'Hammersmith,' p. 371.
RA VENSCOURT PARK 521
Lord of the Manor ;* and in this house he held the last
Court of the Manor. He bequeathed one of the small
islands, or eyots, in the Thames for the benefit of the poor
of Hammersmith. A descendant of his, John Payne, sold
the manor or capital messuage of Palingswick, with its
appurtenances, in 1631, to Sir Richard Gurney, citizen, cloth-
worker, and Lord Mayor of London. He distinguished
himself by his loyalty to Charles I., and of course fell under
the displeasure of Parliament, who preferred several articles
of impeachment against him, for which he was by sentence
of the Peers degraded from the mayoralty, and condemned
to remain a prisoner in the Tower, where he died in 1647.
His widow sold it three years afterwards to Maximilian
Bard, in whose family it continued till 1747, at which time
Hammersmith is described in an old history of Middlesex
as being a small village, near Brentford, containing some
fine seats. f It then passed into the hands of Thomas
Corbett, Secretary to the Admiralty. The arms of Thomas
Corbett were a raven sable on a white ground. He changed
the name from Paddenswick to Ravenscourt. At his death
it was sold by public auction, the following being a copy of
the advertisement : ' To be sold by auction, by Mr. Lang-
ford, on the premises (by order of the executor), the beginning
of June next ensuing, the Manor of Paddinswick, at Hammer-
smith, in the parish of Fulham, and county of Middlesex,
late the estate of Thomas Corbett, Esq., Secretary to the
Admiralty, deceased, consisting of a capital mansion-house,
out-houses, gardens, lands, farms and messuages, thereunto
belonging and adjoining, all copyhold of inheritance, the
situation of which is admirable, the house in the finest
repair, and improved with every conveniency that can be
desired ; the lands of a rich and fertile soil, the gardens
elegantly laid out, and the whole calculated to give delight.
At which time will be likewise sold by auction all the genuine
and rich household furniture, linen, china, brewing utensils,
* Faulkner, ' Fulham,' p. 379.
f Faulkner, ' Hammersmith,' pp. 374, 375.
522
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
garden-tools, implements of husbandry, and other effects.
Further particulars, and timely notice of which, will be given
in this and other papers.'*
After being purchased by a Mr. Arthur Weaver, it passed
into the hands of Henry Dagge, the author of ' Considera-
tions on the Criminal Laws.' It was leased by him to Lord
Chancellor Northington, who had the peculiar distinction of
holding the Great Seal nine years, and in two reigns, those of
The Mansion, Ravenscourt Park.
George II. and George III., and during the whole of four
administrations, Mr. Pitt's, Lord Bute's, the Duke of Bed-
ford's, and the Marquis of Rockingham's. A romantic story
is told of his marriage, which seems quite out of place in the
sober dignity of the law. He fell in love with an invalid young
lady at Bath, Miss Husband, who fortunately recovered her
strength and proved to be an heiress. They were eventually
married, and, we presume, lived happily ever afterwards.
The house next passed in 1765 into the hands of John
* Morning Advertiser, 1754.
RA VENSCOURT PARK 523
Dorville, who has left his name in the row of houses formerly
called Dorville's Row, now part of King Street West, and
the Dorville family sold it to the late owner, George Scott.
At the time of the purchase of the estate for a public park,
it was locally known under the name of Scott's Park. The
present mansion was built by the Bard family about 1648 or
1650, and the ancient manor-house which stood a little east
of the park was probably pulled down about the same time.
It is built in the style of the French architect Mansart ;
important additions were made to it by the late owner, and
the pleasure-grounds and gardens were improved under the
direction of Mr. Repton.* A great part of the moat which
formerly surrounded the mansion was rilled up, and the
remainder formed into an ornamental piece of water, which
was adapted to form the present lake.
The principal feature of the park is the fine avenue of elms
and chestnuts leading from King Street to the mansion, on
one side of which is the orchard, a constant source of
temptation to the youth of Hammersmith. When one of
the ancient elms opposite the mansion was taken down some
years ago, a riding-spur was found embedded in a branch
nearly of the date when the present house was built. This
must have been thrown up and caught in the young tree,
and the bark have gradually grown over it, and thus it
remained for about 200 years.
It is a great misfortune for the park that it is traversed by
the London and South-Western Railway. It need hardly be
stated that railway arches do not form a picturesque feature
in any park, but as much has been done as is possible to
make them both useful and ornamental. Creepers are being
trained over the bare bricks, and the arches are used for
various purposes, two as a gymnasium, another as an aviary,
whilst the remainder serve as shelters in wet weather. A
use has been found, too, for the mansion, which is leased to
the Hammersmith Library Commissioners at a nominal
rent of £10 per annum.
* Faulkner, 'Hammersmith,' p. 375.
524 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
The roads adjoining Ravenscourt Park have considerable
historical importance. The one to the north, Goldhawke
Road (formerly Gould Hawk, after a Mr. Gould, an owner
of Gould Farm), is on the site of the old Roman road from
Regnum (Chichester) to Pontes (Staines). Its passage
through this parish is thus described by Dr. Stukeley : ' It
passes now between Staines and London, being the common
road at present, till you come to Turnharn Green, where the
The Lake, Ravenscourt Park.
present road through Hammersmith and Kensington leaves
it, for it passes more northward upon the common, where, to
a discerning eye, the trace of it goes over a little brook,
called from it Strand Bridge, and comes into the Acton
Road at a common at a bridge a little west of Camden
House, and so along Hyde Park wall, and crosses the
Watling Street at Tyburn.' In confirmation of the correct-
ness of this description, it may be mentioned that the most
satisfactory evidence of its existence was discovered in the
RAVENSCOURT PARK 525
year 1834 by the workmen employed in making Goldhawke
Road, for, upon digging down about 10 feet from the surface,
they came to the old Roman causeway, which was very hard
and compact, and consisted of the usual sort of materials
employed in the formation of these roads. Among the
various articles dug up were Roman coins and small square
tiles.*
We have mentioned before how a former owner of Ravens-
court Park was involved in the troubles of the Civil War.
In 1642 the neighbourhood of the park itself was the scene
of one of the encounters between King and Parliament. In
the beginning of November in that year the King marched
with his whole army to Colebrook, and subsequently ad-
vanced to Brentford. The historian of the rebellion, Lord
Clarendon, relates how 'the King marched with his whole
army towards Brentford, where were two regiments of their
best foot, for so they were accounted, being those who had
eminently behaved themselves at Edgehill, having barricaded
the narrow avenues of the town and cast up some little
breastworks at the most convenient places. Here a Welsh
regiment of the King's, which had been faulty at Edgehill,
recovered its honour, and assaulted the works, and forced
the barricadoes well defended by the enemy. Then the
King's forces entered the town after a very warm service,
the chief officers and many soldiers of the other side being
killed, and they took there above 500 prisoners, eleven
colours, and fifteen pieces of cannon, and good store of
ammunition. Thus, the Welsh, under Sir Charles Salisbury,
their leader, made true the Greek proverb, " He that flieth
will fight again." Intelligence of the King's progress having
reached London, every possible effort was made by the
Parliamentary party to prevent his entering the capital, and
a large force was drawn together under the Earl of Essex.
This was augmented by the trained bands of London, who
were posted on the heath next Brentford. The Earl of
Essex drew up his forces upon Back Common (Turnham
* Faulkner, ' Hammersmith,' pp. 23, 24.
526 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Green), the whole army consisting of 24,000 men. Both
armies continued to face each other the whole day, which
was Sunday, yet neither side seemed anxious to attack.
King Charles was probably disappointed in the assistance
he had expected from London, and the Parliamentary leader
was afraid of the desertion of his troops should the battle
commence. In the evening the King drew off his forces to
Kingston, and on the next day the General gave orders for
the citizens to return to London, an order which they did
not hesitate to obey. The soldiers had not been forgotten,
for their wives and others had sent many cartloads of pro-
visions, wines, and other good things to Turnham Green,
with which they were refreshed and made merry.'*
Merry-making under different conditions is one of the
objects for which Ravenscourt Park exists. Some of the
attractions of the park have already been touched upon —
the band performances, lawn tennis, skating, all in their
respective seasons — but there is something which is a per-
manent delight, and that is the natural beauty, which is
equally attractive all the year round. The majestic avenue
at the King Street entrance is imposing in its grandeur in
winter and summer alike. From early spring to late autumn
the park boasts of a wealth of flowers, not only in its formal
beds, but also in its very extensive borders. Hammersmith
may well be proud of this park, which thus affords pleasure
and recreation to classes and masses alike.
SHEPHERD'S BUSH COMMON.
Shepherd's Bush Common is a triangular open space of
8 acres, situated at the junction of the Uxbridge and Gold-
hawke Roads. Some years ago it was simply a village
green, around which were clustered the few cottages, shops,
and solitary inn which composed the village of Shepherd's
Bush. Faulkner, the historian of Fulham and Hammer-
smith, writing in 1839, laments that a chapel-of-ease is much
* Faulkner, ' Hammersmith,' pp. 86, 87.
SHEPHERD'S BUSH COMMON 527
wanted here, and just about this time the extensive building
operations commenced which have so transformed this part
of the Metropolis. Very few traces of the old village remain,
and rows of shops and villas have taken the place of the
straggling cottages. Even the village green has been changed,
and it is now a well-kept suburban common enclosed with
post-and-rail fencing. Its very name has been altered to
keep pace with the other transformations. In old maps it is
marked as Gagglegoose Green, which brings back with it
glimpses of flocks of geese strutting across the village green
and frightening away timid intruders with their cackling.
The name of the erstwhile village, too, has a rural sound.
The meaning of ' shepherd's bush ' does not seem to have
been discussed by any topographer, it being taken for granted
that the bush in question is one similar to that spoken of by
Milton :
' And every shepherd tells his tale
Under the hawthorn in the dale.'
But a few years ago the local authorities were anxious to
change the name of the district, and this elicited a com-
munication in the Daily Telegraph from a clergyman, signing
himself 'A Hedgerow Parson,' who was personally acquainted
with what is now an extinct archaeological curiosity. ' Did
you ever see a shepherd's bush ?' he asks, and adds, ' I was
myself asked the question forty years ago, and replied, " I
dare say I have seen one," believing that shepherd's bushes are
as other bushes. My questioner at once replied, " Oh, then
you don't know what a shepherd's bush is. I'll show you one."
He then took me to the top of a hill overlooking extensive
sheepwalks, on which stood a solitary and ancient white
thorn, its shape that of an inverted mushroom. The upper
surface of the bush was worn smooth, forming a shallow cup,
by shepherds having lain upon it resting their elbows on its
well-defined green edge while watching their flocks. The
entrance to this upper surface was by a smoothly-worn hole
between the bole and branches. In consequence of this use
as a watch-box, the thorny and green growths had been
528 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
forced downwards and horizontally outwards, giving the bush
its peculiar shape.' This, then, seems to be the origin of the
name of this little common, and it would be interesting to
know if such a bush as has been described ever existed in
this quarter of the world, and if so, why it became of such
importance as to give its distinctive name to the district.
Shepherd's Bush Common is one of the oldest of the
municipal open spaces. At the time when its acquisition
was first mooted it was nothing better than a swamp sur-
rounded with a ditch. The ditch has been filled in and the
common raised, so that its former objectionable character
has been remedied. It was acquired under a scheme by
which the rights of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, the
Lords of the Manor of Fulham, in which it is situated, were
purchased for the sum of £505. This scheme was confirmed
by the Metropolitan Commons Second Supplemental Act,
1871.
None of the buildings surrounding the common can lay
any claim to antiquity, but some of the old cottages which
have been pulled down possessed some little historical interest.
Close by the Wellington Tavern in the Uxbridge Road once
stood a house, lately occupied as a butcher's shop. For
many years this was a famous inn for travellers, at a time
when it was the only house standing between Acton and
Kensington Gravel Pit. It was here that the notorious
highwayman called Sixteen String Jack was finally taken
into custody.*
Another old cottage at the corner of Goldhawke Road
occupied the site of a much-frequented inn, which was hired
by Miles Syndercombe for the purpose of assassinating
Oliver Cromwell on his way to Hampton Court in January,
1657. The house was owned by Henry Busby, coachman
to the Earl of Salisbury, and the road at this spot was so
narrow and bad that carriages were forced to go slowly.
Syndercombe, who seems to have been of an inventive turn
of mind, devised an engine or machine-gun, which was to be
* Faulkner, * Hammersmith,' p. 382.
SHEPHERD'S BUSH COMMON 529
loaded with twelve bullets, and be discharged at Cromwell's
coach as he passed by.* The conspirator had two con-
federates in Cecil and Toope, two of Cromwell's guard, who
were able to keep him well informed of their master's move-
ments. If the plot had been successfully carried out, the
coach with Cromwell and the other passengers would have
been effectually destroyed, but Syndercombe was betrayed
by one of his accomplices. When he was tried he resolutely
denied the plot, but he was found guilty, and the sentence of
the court was that he ' be put from hence to the prison of
the Tower of London, from whence he came, and thence
be drawn upon a hurdle through the streets of London to
Tyburn, there to be hanged on a gallows untill he be half
dead, and then cut down, and his entrails and bowels taken
out and burnt in his face or sight, and his body divided into
four quarters, and be disposed of as his Highness shall think
fit.' As the behaviour of Syndercombe at the trial had given
reason to suppose that an attempt would be made to rescue
him, the Protector gave particular charge for his being
guarded in the Tower, but when his keepers went to call
him in the morning he was found dead in his bed. Crom-
well was very much disturbed at this, for instead of getting
a useful confession out of this man, he found himself under
the reproach of causing him to be poisoned, and though he
did not make the discovery he expected, he found that he
himself was more odious to his army than he believed he
had been.f The original inn hired by Syndercombe was
pulled down about 1770, and the cottage which took its
place was a small thatched building of one story, at one time
occupied by Mr. Galloway, the eminent engineer.]:
* Mercurius Politicus, January 15 and February $, 1657.
t Faulkner, ' Hammersmith/ pp. 90, 91. \ Ibid., p. 383.
34
CHAPTER XXVII.
SPA GREEN— WHITFIELD GARDENS.
SPA GREEN.
THE gardens comprised under this name include
four separate plots of land situated in Rosebery
Avenue, Clerkenwell, which owe their existence
to the formation of that thoroughfare. The first
of these gardens was acquired in 1891, as the result of an
exchange with the New River Company. Some of the
surplus land which had been acquired for the purposes
of the improvement was offered to that company, which
resulted in their proposing to give in exchange the land
known as Spa Green proper, which had up to that time
been kept by them as an enclosed grass plot, and upon
which they intended to build after the completion of the
new thoroughfare. Later on in the same year, at the
request of the Vestry of Clerkenwell, Upper Gloucester
Street was connected with Rosebery Avenue, thus adding
a portion of Spa Green to the public way, and dividing it
into two. The smaller of these two plots was then paved,
planted with trees, and provided with seats, and the re-
mainder was laid out as a garden, with tar-paved paths,
flower-beds, and shrubberies.
The remaining two plots were purchased by the Council
out of funds which were paid them by the Postmaster-
General, under the Post-Office Sites Act, 1889. When the
Government decided to purchase the site of Coldbath Fields
Prison for Post-Office purposes, the London County Council
SPA GREEN
endeavoured to obtain a portion for an open space, and
eventually a compromise was effected by which they were
empowered to purchase a portion, or receive a sum of
£10,000 to provide an open space elsewhere. The Post-
OfBce, after considerable negotiations, decided to pay the
money and retain the whole of the prison site. Although
View in one of the Gardens, Spa Green.
it did not follow of necessity that this money need be
expended in Clerkenwell, it was quite in accordance with
the spirit of the Act to do so, and accordingly two plots of
land in a line with Spa Green were purchased.
After being laid out and enclosed, these two small gardens
were opened to the public on July 31, 1895. The total area
of Spa Green is f acre, and although in itself this seems
34—2
532 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
very insignificant, the importance of the gardens in a
crowded district like Clerkenwell, where open spaces are
few and far between, cannot be over-estimated.
These small plots of land, together with Spa Fields and
Wilmington Square, are all that remain of the large open
space which once existed here, known under the various
names of Spa Fields, Clerkenwell Fields, Pipe Fields, or
Ducking Pond Fields.
The appellation Spa Fields was applied more properly
to the district round the present recreation ground of that
name, whilst the fields extending northwards were called the
Ducking Pond Fields, but all four terms were used synony-
mously. An inquiry into the origin of these many names
will tell us a great deal about the history of the place itself.
Taking first of all, Spa Fields : the Spa was a mineral
spring of some celebrity in the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries, when the district was sufficiently in the country
to attract those who would despise the merits of anything
at their doors. The two northernmost plots are part of the
site of the grounds of the Spa, which was curiously enough
called Islington Spa, or New Tunbridge Wells. The reason
why it received this former name is because it was nearer
to the town of Islington than that of Clerkenwell, whilst
the similarity of the composition of the water to that at
Tunbridge gave it its other title. This Islington Spa must
not be confounded with another Spa a little to the south,
close to Spa Fields, known as the London Spa, nor with
the wells on the opposite side of the road, where Sadler's
Wells Theatre now stands.
The first mention of the Islington Spa is in various news-
paper advertisements from 1685 to 1692, which refer to it
incidentally as a place that is open to the public. An
advertisement of May, 1690, in the Gazette, made the follow-
ing announcement :
' These are to give notice, That the well near Islington,
call'd New Tunbridge, will be open on Monday next, the
25th instant, during the whole season for drinking the
SPA GREEN 533
medicinal water, where the poor may have the same gratis,
bringing a certificate under the hand of any known physician
or apothecary. The coffee-house within the garden there is
to be lett at a reasonable rate.'*
The price of admission was at first fixed at 3d., which
occasioned a burlesque poem by Ned Ward, ' The Islington
Wells ; or, the Threepenny Academy.' The coffee-house
referred to in the advertisement was the humble original
of a ball-room for dancing, which became one of the standing
attractions of the Spa as it grew in popular estimation. Year
after year the opening of the season at the Spa was adver-
tised, together with the announcement that there would be
dancing on Mondays and Thursdays ; but it obtained no
especial hold upon the public till patronized by Lady Mary
Wortley Montagu, one of the leaders of society, who pro-
fessed to have received much benefit from the taking of the
waters. It at once became a fashionable resort, and was
constantly visited by Royalty and the leading nobility.
Among other exalted personages here in 1733 we may
mention the Princesses Amelia and Caroline, daughters of
George II. The Gentleman's Magazine of that year mentions
that in the month of June the Princess Amelia ceased her
visits to the New Tunbridge Wells, where Her Highness
and the Princess Caroline had attended almost every morn-
ing in May to drink the water, when she gave the proprietor
twenty-five guineas, the water-servers three each, and the
other attendants one apiece. This was very liberal on her
part, but the proprietor had gone out of his way to give her
a proper reception, even to firing a royal salute of twenty-
one guns on her arrival. He could well afford to do this,
for he is said to have received as much as £30 in a morn-
ing.f In addition to the waters, the practice adopted at
other spas was followed here, of having entertainments,
concerts, and the like. To take an advertisement from the
Daily Post of May 13, 1740, we find that ' The New Wells
* Quoted in Pink's * History of Clerkenwell,' p. 399.
f Malcolm, in., p. 231.
534 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
near the London Spaw begin their diversions at five in the
afternoon. A new entertainment of singing, dancing, feats
of activity.' So the crowds of rich and gouty noblemen
continued to resort hither till about 1750, when we find the
puffs and advertisements of the Spa getting bigger and
bigger as the patients grew steadily fewer, and the receipts
proportionately smaller. Aristocracy withdrew its patronage,
and as a consequence those who had come more for the sake
of society and amusement than to drink the waters had to
find other places to gratify their tastes. The proprietor, in
order to curtail expenses, had to close the gardens, but in
spite of his retrenchments, in 1777 he became bankrupt. A
later energetic manager, by dint of providing fresh attrac-
tions in the way of a bowling-green and ' astronomical
lectures during Lent,' contrived to effect a temporary revival,
but the days of its popularity were numbered, and at last
the place had to be closed. The greater part of the gardens
was then built over, but those who cared to have the water
for medicinal purposes were still supplied.
From the derivation of the term of Spa Fields we next
pass to that of Pipe Fields, which we have already seen was
another name for the locality. The pipes referred to were
wooden ones, hollow trunks of elm-trees belonging to the
New River Company, which at one time covered a consider-
able extent of the ground.* Britton, speaking of the fields
as he knew them at the close of the last century, says they
' were really fields devoted to the pasturage of cows and to
a forest of elm-trees, not standing and adorned with foliage
in the summer, but lying on the ground southward of the
New River head, destined to convey water in their hollow
trunks to the north and western parts of London, in combina-
tion with similar pipes laid under the roadway of the streets. 't
The last name of Ducking Pond Fields was the one by
which they were known to Pepys. On March 27, 1664, he
writes: 'Lord's day. It being church time, walked to
* Pink, ' History of Clerkenwell,' p. 645.
t Britton's ' Autobiography.'
GREEN 535
St. James's to try if I could see the belle Butler, but could
not. . . . Thence walked through the ducking-pond fields ;
but they are so altered since my father used to carry us to
Islington to the old man's, at the " King's Head," to eat
cakes and ale ... that I did not know which was the
ducking pond, nor where I was.'* It would have been
interesting to have known what these alterations were, but
our diarist does not give any further particulars. The
ducking-pond was so-called from the barbarous sport of
duck-hunting, which consisted of placing a dog upon a
duck's back in the water, whilst the spectators watched
the struggles of the wretched bird to escape.
Spa Fields in the past, then, seem to have been connected
chiefly with the amusements of Londoners. The fields
themselves, apart from the places of entertainment, were
a specially favourite resort on Sundays. As early as Pepys'
time this seems to have been the case, for, curiously enough,
his only mention of them is in connection with a Sunday
airing. Even as late as 1803 they are incidentally referred
to as a favourite place for Sunday promenading, but their
appearance must have been much spoilt by the erection
of Coldbath Fields Prison in 1794, with its dismal walls
frowning down on them.
In addition to their evil reputation for duck-hunting, they
were also occasionally the scenes of bull-baiting, pugilism,
and other rough sports. As an example of this, we may
quote a newspaper extract of 1768 : ' On Wednesday last,
two women fought for a new shift, valued at half-a-guinea,
in the Spaw Fields, near Islington. The battle was won by
the woman called " Bruising Peg," who beat her antagonist
in a terrible manner. 'f At Whitsuntide the fields were the
scene of a ' gooseberry fair,' where the stalls of gooseberry-
fool vied with the tea-booths and the ale of the various
public- houses.
The fields at night time had some dangerous characters,
* Pepys3 ' Diary ' (Cassell's Edition), p. 71.
f Daily Advertiser, June 22, 1768.
536 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
which were rather a drawback to the visitors to Sadler's
Wells Theatre. The proprietors were well aware of this,
and in the advertisements of the theatre there are frequent
additions like this : 'N.B. — A full moon during the week';
and again, after an announcement of a chanty performance :
' A horse patrole will also be sent in the New Road this night
by Mr. Fielding (a well-known Bow-Street magistrate), for
the protection of the nobility and gentry who go from the
squares and that end of the town. The road towards the
City will also be properly guarded.'
Thomas Dibdin, son of the celebrated composer of ' Tom
Bowling,' who resided in Myddelton Square, in writing the
history of his life, makes a passing mention of the locality
which will confirm these statements about the lonely character
of the fields. He says : ' The site of the square and church,
not five years since (1822), was an immense field, where
people used to be stopped and robbed on their return in the
evening from Sadler's Wells ; and the ground floor of the
parlour where I sit was as nearly as possible the very spot
where my wife and I fell over a recumbent cow on our
way home one murky night in a thunderstorm.'* It was a
common thing on dark nights for men and boys to wait
outside the theatre to light the people home through the
fields to the streets of Islington and Clerkenwell.
It is not to be supposed that a place so near London could
retain this rural character for very long, especially with the
attractions of a fashionable spa and a popular theatre. About
1817 the fields began to be built over, and it was not many
years before they were thickly covered with houses, and now
they have disappeared altogether except in name.
Facing the green there are two places of interest which
deserve a passing mention. These are Sadler's Wells
Theatre and the New River Head.
Sadler's Wells Theatre is an outcome of another mineral
spring which is of very ancient origin. This spring once
belonged to the rich priory of St. John at Jerusalem, and
* ' Autobiography of T. Dibdin,' vol. ii., p. 323.
SPA GREEN 537
before the Reformation it was famed for the cures performed
here, which were pretended by the monks of Clerkenwell to
be due to their prayers. The slanderous stories which are
related of the priests, and their supposed pious frauds at this
well, are not sufficiently corroborated to be repeated, but at
any rate at the Reformation the springs were closed to
prevent superstitious persons from visiting them. They
then seem to have been quite forgotten till they were
accidentally discovered in 1683 by a Mr. Sadler, from whom
they take their name. At the time this well was publicly
opened a pamphlet was published giving a history of its
discovery.* The account runs as follows : ' Mr. Sadler,
being made, surveyor of the highways, and having good
gravel in his garden, employed two men to dig there, and
when they had dug pretty deep one of them found his
pickaxe strike upon something that was very hard, where-
upon he endeavoured to break it, but could not ; where-
upon, thinking within himself that it might peradventure be
some treasure hid there, he uncovered it very carefully and
found it to be a broad flat stone, which having loosed and
lifted up, he saw it was supported by four oaken posts, and
under it a large well of stone arched over, and curiously
carved.' After they had told their master, ' Sadler . . . went
down to see the well, and observing the curiosity of the stone-
work, and fancying within himself that it was a medicinal
water formerly held in great esteem, but by some accident
or other lost,' he sent some for analysis to an eminent
physician. As the water was slightly ferruginous, and was
discovered to be beneficial, it was soon recommended, and
visitors began to flock here. This spring is entirely distinct
from the Islington Spa, or New Tunbridge Wells, on the
opposite side of the road. Lysons was misled probably by
this pamphlet into supposing that they were one and the
same, and as his ' Environs of London ' has formed the
foundation for most histories since his time, his error has
* 'A True and Exact Account of Sadler's Wells ; or, the New Mineral
Waters lately found at Islington.' 1684.
538
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
been repeated by many other writers. The old plan here
reproduced shows the two wells quite distinct from one
another. Sadler's Wells on one side of the New River were
reached by a bridge at the extreme end nearest to the reser-
Plan of the site of Spa Green and surroundings in 1744. The New Tunbridge Wells
are shown on the south of the New River (K K K) opposite to Sadler's Wells.
voir, whilst on the other side were the New Tunbridge Wells.
Both places had an approach by means of paths across the
fields from the London Spaw, which was on the site of the
present public-house of that name. Pepys does not record
SPA GREEN 539
any visit here, but Evelyn mentions under date June n,
1686 : ' I went to see Middleton's receptacle of water (New
River Head) and the New Spa Wells, near Islington.' The
garden in which the spring was thus brought to light was
attached to a small wooden music-house, of which Mr. Sadler
was proprietor. As a place of entertainment it was old then,
and it lays claim now to being the oldest theatre in London.
It was probably frequented long before the Reformation as
a place of amusement, and a petition is mentioned as having
been presented by the proprietor to the House of Commons,
in which it is stated that the site was a place of public enter-
tainment in the reign of Queen Elizabeth.* The bill of fare
provided here was not of the choicest. Among other items
we may mention a gourmand, who, after dining heartily off
beef-steak, proceed to eat a fowl, feathers and all, and then
offered to bet anyone five guineas that he would do the same
again in two hours.
Sadler appears to have stayed here till 1699, when we find
the place advertised as Miles's Music House. Subsequent
proprietors were Forcer, a barrister, Rosomon (after whom
Rosoman Street takes its name), and King, the famous
comedian. In 1765 the old wooden theatre was pulled
down, and a new one of brick built at a cost of £4,425. The
old variety entertainments were kept up with good success
till 1804, when the proprietor took advantage of the proximity
of the New River Company to turn the stage into an immense
tank, and to present aquatic scenes with real water. The first
of these was the ' Siege of Gibraltar,' in which the fortress
was bombarded by real vessels. The theatre had now estab-
lished itself, and the season was extended from six to twelve
months. Joe Grimaldi, the well-known clown and actor,
whose father had been previously employed here as chief
dancer and ballet master, commenced his theatrical career
at Sadler's Wells at the early age of one year and four
months, and in 1798 he married Miss Hughes, daughter of
the proprietor. It was here that he first sung his immortal
* Malcolm, ' Londinium Redivivum.'
540 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
song of ' Hot Codlins,' not many years before the total decay
of his frame, brought on by his exertions on the stage, ren-
dered his retirement necessary. In 1844 a decided change
for the better took place, when Mr. Phelps, aided by Mrs.
Warner, rented the theatre. Between this year and 1862
no less than thirty of Shakespeare's plays were given one
after another. The greatest success was ' Hamlet,' which
claimed 400 performances out of the 4,000 nights.
The theatre was then closed for some time, and afterwards
reopened for various short terms with burlesque entertain-
ments and pantomimes. It next appears as a skating-rink,
and finally had to be closed because it was not safe. In
1879 it was rebuilt on a larger scale from the designs of
Sadler's Wells, with the New River in front, in 1756.
Mr. C. J. Phipps, but it has had rather a fitful existence
ever since, and has never regained the popularity it once had.
Running the whole length of Spa Green are the reservoirs
and works of the New River Company, commonly known as
the New River head. This gigantic undertaking owes its
origin to Sir Hugh Myddelton, who first proposed this scheme
about 1608, at a time when London had far outgrown its
means of water supply. He persuaded the Corporation to
apply for Parliamentary powers to bring the New River from
the Chadwell and Amwell Springs, near Ware, in Hertford-
shire, to Islington. When they had obtained these powers
the difficulties in the way of the undertaking deterred them
SPA GREEN 541
from taking any more steps in the matter, so Sir Hugh
undertook to carry it through on condition that the Corpora-
tion transferred their powers to him. This they readily did,
and the contract time for finishing the project was four years.
The cost of the execution, however, was so great that Sir
Hugh, in the course of the third year, found he could not go
on without more funds. For these he applied to the City,
but they would not risk their money in so hazardous an
undertaking ; but he was more successful in his application
to the King (James I.). The King undertook to pay half the
cost, past and future, on condition that he should receive
half the profit. The work was now rapidly pushed on, and
was completed on September 29, 1613. The property of the
company was originally divided into seventy-two shares.
Half of these belonged to Sir Hugh, who became in after-life
so impoverished that he had to sell his shares, which are
known as the adventurer's shares. The remaining thirty-two
are called the King's shares, but they were alienated from
the crown by Charles I. When the water was first brought
to London, the company was not a very paying concern, as
the expenses of distribution were very great. It is needless
to add how very different this is now, when one of the
original shares constitutes a fortune. The New River, as at
first executed, was a canal about 10 feet wide and 4 feet
deep, with a winding course nearly 40 miles long ; but it has
subsequently been widened, shortened, and otherwise im-
proved. The present appearance of the works cannot by
any stretch of the imagination be termed picturesque. They,
too, like the rest of the neighbourhood, have changed con-
siderably during 200 years. When the river was first
completed, there was built here ' a house ornamented with
vases and quoins, surrounded with a variety of flourishing
trees, and fronted by this noble sheet of water, which alto-
gether give it the appearance of a nobleman's villa. This
house belongs to the Company, and was originally built in
the year 1613, and repaired and newly fronted in 1782, under
* the direction of Robert Mylne, surveyor to the company, as
542
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
his place of residence. A large room in this house was fitted
up for the meetings of the company about the latter end of
the seventeenth century. On the ceiling is a portrait of King
William, the arms of Myddelton and Green.'* This last-
The New River at Sadler's Wells. (From an old woodcut.)
named personage was John Green (or Grene), clerk of the
company in the time of William III. Green Terrace takes
its name from him. It may be mentioned that the New
River in its course passes through two municipal parks —
viz., Finsbury and Clissold.
* ' London, Westminster and Middlesex,' vol. iii., p. 598.
WHITFIELD GARDENS 543
WHITFIELD GARDENS.
These gardens consist of two small plots of land situated
on the western side of Tottenham Court Road, one of the
busiest thoroughfares in London. They were acquired, after
considerable negotiations, in 1894, at the joint expense of the
London County Council and the Vestry of St. Pancras, the
total cost being over £5,000. Although this amount appears
very large for so small an area, the money has been well
spent, considering the crowded neighbourhood in which the
gardens are located and the benefit which their acquisition
has conferred upon the district. Being a disused burial-
ground, the land could not be built over, but a so-called fair
was carried on upon it, which became such a nuisance that
the Home Secretary had to intervene to put a stop to the
disgraceful scenes that occurred here. He wrote to the late
Metropolitan Board of Works suggesting that they should
(under the powers of the Metropolitan Open Spaces Act,
1881) take such steps as would ensure the ground being kept
in order and treated with proper care. The result of this
was that in 1889 a clause was inserted in their General
Powers Act to enable the acquisition being carried out.
For five weary years the negotiations dragged along, the
chief difficulty in the way being the pendency of a suit in
Chancery. At length all the obstacles were surmounted,
and after being laid out, the gardens were opened to the
public in February, 1895, by Sir John Hutton, who was then
the chairman of the London County Council.
As has been already stated, the gardens were part of the
burial-ground attached to Whitefield's Tabernacle. In 1756,
when this place of worship was first opened, it stood in the
midst of fields. On the opposite side of the road or lane
was a farm with market-gardens attached. On the north
side of the tabernacle were but two houses, and the next after
them was the Adam and Eve public-house, half a mile distant.
In place of the busy thoroughfare of Tottenham Court Road
544 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
there was a country lane passing through fields and meadows,
a place to be praised by the poet —
* When the sweet-breathing spring unfolds the buds,
Love flies the dusty town for shady woods,
Then Tottenham Fields with roving beauty swarm.'
GAY, ' Epistle to Pulteney!
These fields extended right down to St. Martin's Lane, which
name still preserves the remembrance of its former rural
character.
In these fields was held annually at the beginning of
August what was known as a ' Gooseberry Fair,' which
attracted hither some of the lowest characters. At this time
some of the leading comic actors from the London theatres
used to perform here in specially erected booths. The spec-
tators who preferred to listen to the ' drolls and interludes '
given here, to the fare provided for them in the close
theatres, were admitted at the modest figure of sixpence
each. In course of time, however, the players or the per-
formances must have degenerated, for it became necessary
for the strong hand of the law to intervene and put a stop
to them. An official proclamation issued by the Quarter
Sessions of Middlesex, and published in the Daily C our ant
of July 22, 1827, sets forth that in consequence of ' this
court having been informed that several common players of
interludes having for some years used and accustomed to
assemble and meet together at or near a certain placed called
Tottenhoe, alias Tottenhal, alias Tottenham Court, in the
parish of St. Pancras in this county, and to erect booths
and to exhibit drolls and exercise unlawful games and plays,
whereby great number of His Majesty's subjects have been
encouraged to assemble and meet together and to commit
riots and other misdemeanours in breach of His Majesty's
peace,' these interludes were in the future to be prohibited.
A quaint old engraving of 1738 gives a representation of a
curious race which was usually run at this fair, called
' Running for the smock.' The competitors — young girls in
their teens — had to run 100 yards on the turf with nothing
W BITFIELD GARDENS 545
on but a smock, the victor being rewarded with a holland
chemise decorated with ribbons. This favourite North-
Country pastime was discontinued about the middle of the
present century 'in compliance with the proprieties of the
age.'
Tottenham Court Road owes its name to the fact that it
was the road leading to Tottenham Court, i.e., the court-house
or manor-house of the Manor of Tottenham, or, more cor-
rectly, Totenhall. This manor was formerly kept by the
Prebendary of Totenhall in his own hands. In 1343 John
de Carleton held a court baron as lessee. In 1560 the manor
was demised to Queen Elizabeth for ninety-nine years, in the
name of Sir Robert Dudley, but in the year 1639, twenty
years before the expiration of Queen Elizabeth's term, a
lease was granted to Charles I. in the name of Sir Harry
Vane for three lives. In 1649 this manor was seized as
Crown land, and was sold to Ralph Harrison, of London,
for the sum of £3,318 35. nd. At the Restoration it re-
verted to the Crown ; and in the year 1661, two of the lives
in King Charles's lease being surviving, it was granted by
Charles II. in payment of a debt to Sir Henry Wood for the
term of forty-one years, if the said survivors should live so
long. After that the lease became the property of Isabella,
Countess of Arlington, from whom it was inherited by
her son, Charles, Duke of Grafton. In 1768, the manor
then being leased to the Hon. Charles Fitzroy (afterwards
Lord Southampton), an Act of Parliament was passed by
which the fee simple was also invested in him, subject to
the payment of £300 per annum in lieu of the ancient
reserved rent of £46, and all fines for renewals. According
to the survey of 1649, the demesne land of the manor com-
prised about 240 acres.*
The site of the manor-house is now occupied by the Adam
and Eve tavern in the Hampstead Road ; its walls were, in
fact, part and parcel of that house. As early as the time of
* Clinch, ' Marylebone and St. Pancras.'
35
546 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Henry III. the building standing here had some eminence,
being owned by William de Tottenhall, and it was in all
probability the original manor-house. In course of time the
halls and courtyards of the spacious building in which my
lord's retainers had shouted their drinking songs degenerated
to the uses of a common tavern. Its courtyards were now
given up to morality plays or mysteries, one of which may
have given its name to the building. Gardens with fruit-
trees and shady arbours were laid out to allure visitors from
dusty town to the quiet seclusion of Tottenham Court Fields.
The Paddington Drag, the only conveyance at the commence-
ment of this century between Paddington and the City,
would call twice a day for passengers at the Adam and Eve,
performing the whole journey in two and a half hours quick
time, the return occupying three hours, which was fair time,
making all allowance for the precaution it was necessary
to take against highwaymen and the other evils of night
travelling.
Enough has been said to prove the rural character of this
sylvan retreat when Whitefield took up his quarters here.
He had passed through some wonderful vicissitudes in his
eventful life. Born in 1714, at the Bell Inn at Gloucester,
where for some time he served as a common drawer or
barman, the most violent optimist would not have predicted
that this public-house lad would develop into the prince of
pulpit orators. His paternal grandfather and great-grand-
father were clergymen, it is true, but when his mother was
left a widow with a large family, the expense of a University
education seemed out of the question. She, however, did the
best she could for him by sending him to the Grammar
School of St. Mary de Crypt, Gloucester, where he distin-
guished himself in elocution, and made fair progress in
classical studies. Subsequently, in his nineteenth year, he
was admitted as a servitor at Pembroke College, Oxford.
Here he became intimately acquainted with the Wesleys
and other leading Methodists, and entered so enthusiastically
into all their work that he was attacked with a severe illness,
WHITFIELD GARDENS 547
which compelled him to return to Gloucester. While home
on this visit he received encouragement from Dr. Benson,
Bishop of Gloucester, to take Orders, and was ordained by
him as deacon in 1736. His first sermon was preached in
the Church of St. Mary de Crypt, and gave good promise
of his after-career. He then returned to Oxford, and took
his degree in due course, and at once commenced an evan-
gelizing tour in Bath, Bristol, and other towns. The same
year he received an invitation from the Wesleys to help
as a missionary in Georgia, and he occupied the interval
before sailing in preaching tours, his eloquence attracting
immense throngs. In some of the London churches vast
crowds used to assemble long before daybreak in order to
hear him. It was not till December, 1737, that he embarked
for America, and as our Atlantic liners were not then in
existence, the journey took nearly five months. He only
stopped three months, returning to England to be ordained
as priest, and to raise funds for an orphanage he had
founded in America. His popularity had now excited the
jealousy of his brother clergy, and the doors of their
churches were closed to him. This led him to take up
open-air preaching, his first field pulpit being at Bristol, where
the colliers flocked to hear him, his audiences being latterly
estimated at 20,000. His powerful voice was heard by every
one in the crowd, and was particularly adapted for this style
of preaching.
It must not be supposed that he went calmly on without
opposition. He suffered much from the hostility of brutal
mobs. On one occasion when returning from preaching in
Ireland, he was attacked by an ignorant rabble. Volleys
of stones were thrown at him from all quarters, till he was
covered with blood. He only just managed to stagger to
the door of a minister's house, or he would certainly have
been murdered. Whitefield used to say, when speaking of
this event, that in England, Scotland, and America, he had
been treated only as a common minister, but that in Ireland
he had been elevated to the rank of an Apostle, in having
35—2
548 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
had the honour of being stoned.* But perhaps the blow
he felt most was caused by a divergence of opinion from his
friend Wesley, which led to his withdrawing himself from
the Wesleyan communion. They parted company, and
their adherents on each side fiercely quarrelled. Whitefield
would gladly have abstained from strife. ' Desire, dear
brother Wesley,' he used to say, 'to avoid disputing with
me. I think I had rather die than see a division between
us ; and yet how can we walk together if we oppose each
other ?' Whitefield remembered his friends to the end. In
his last will and testament, made six months before his
death, he says : ' I also leave a mourning ring to my
honoured and dear friends, and disinterested fellow-labourers,
the Revs. John and Charles Wesley, in token of my indis-
soluble union with them in heart and Christian affection,
notwithstanding our difference in judgment about some
particular points of doctrine.'
It was while preaching in Scotland that WThitefield made
the acquaintance of the Countess of Huntingdon, who was
afterwards so great a benefactress to him. He had to learn
that a rolling stone gathers no moss, for during his visits to
America, and his frequent preaching tours through Great
Britain, his congregation had dispersed, and he had to sell
up his furniture to pay the debts of his orphanage. But
the Countess appointed him as her chaplain, spent her ample
fortune in endowing Calvinist Methodist chapels in various
parts of the country, and erected a college for the training
of candidates for the ministry. The remainder of his busy
life was spent in visiting America, Great Britain, and Ireland.
It was hardly to be expected that his life would bear the
continual strain he put upon it. It has been stated that in
the compass of a single week, and that for years, he spoke
in general forty hours, and in very many sixty, and that to
thousands. When the demands of his failing health rendered
it at the last necessary, he placed himself on what he called
' short allowance,' preaching only once every week-day, and
* Wakeley, ' Anecdotes of Rev. G. Whitefield.'
W BITFIELD GARDENS
549
three times on Sunday. In 1769 he made his last trip tc
America, and although worn out, he yet went on travelling
and preaching. ' I would rather wear out than rust out '
was the answer he gave to those who advised him to rest
from his labours. A severe seizure of asthma brought him
to his end in the following year, September 30, 1770, at
Newbury, in New England. He died in harness, for he
had arranged to preach there on the day of his death. In
Whitefield's Tabernacle, Tottenham Court Road, 1756.
accordance with his' wishes, he was buried |before the pulpit
of the Presbyterian church of the town where he died.*
The land upon which the chapel was erected, including
the two plots now known as Whitfield Gardens, was first
leased to him, in 1755, by the Fitzroy family, and in the
following year he commenced collecting funds for his new
chapel. The land was formerly the site of an immense pond,
* The details of Whitefield's life are taken in the main from the article
in the ' Encyclopaedia Britannica.'
550 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
called in Pine and Tinney's maps (1742 and 1746), ' The
Little Sea.' The whole of this was covered with a concrete
platform of considerable thickness, which proved a serious
difficulty in the way of treating the ground ornamentally
when it was subsequently laid out as a garden. The founda-
tion-stone was laid in May, 1756, and the building was
completed and opened in November of the same year, the
design being furnished by Whitefield himself. The floor
was of brick, and there were no pews. Two years later
almshouses and a vicarage were built in the burial-ground
adjoining the chapel, and the next year it was enlarged by
the addition of an octagonal front, which gave it the
appearance of two chapels. Whitefield's successors con-
tinued here till the lease expired, and in 1831 the freehold
was purchased by trustees, at a cost of about £20,000. The
service, which up to this time had been liturgical, was then
changed to the congregational form. The burial-ground,
after having been used for something like 30,000 interments,
was closed in 1854, and, owing to the falling off of the fees
derived from this source, the prosperity of the church
steadily declined, till it was dissolved in 1862. The pro-
perty was then put up to auction, and it narrowly escaped
being purchased for a music-hall. It was, however, bought
by the London Chapel-Building Society, and re-opened in
October, 1864, as a Congregational Church. In 1889 the
building showed signs of serious decay, and it was found
necessary, in April, 1890, to pull down the whole of the
structure owing to the insecurity of the foundations. The
trustees of the church have in their possession some interesting
relics, which will doubtless find a place in the new building
which has just been commenced. Among these may be
mentioned Whitefield's arm-chair and several portraits of
former ministers, including a portrait in oils of the founder.
Some of the gravestones from the burial-ground have also
been preserved, among which is one to John Bacon, R.A.,
* sculptor, who died in 1799, and also one to Rev. A. M. Top-
lady, who, as the author of the hymn ' Rock of Ages,' has
WHITFIELD GARDENS 551
obtained a celebrity as universal as Whitefield. The inscrip-
tion is a very simple one :
' Within these hallowed walls, and near this spot, are interred
the mortal remains of the Rev. Augustus Montague Toplady,
Vicar of Broad Hembury, Devon. Born 4th November, 1740 ;
died nth August, 1778 ; aged 38 years. He wrote :
' " Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee." '
We have mentioned before that Whitefield was buried in
America, and so his cherished idea of rinding a last resting-
place here was not realized. On one occasion he told his
congregation, ' I have prepared a vault in this chapel where
I intend to be buried, and Messrs. John and Charles Wesley
shall also be buried there. We will all lie together. You
will not let them enter your chapel while they are alive ;
they can do you no harm when they are dead.'
There is also a tablet to Whitefield's wife, who died in
1768, two years before her husband. She was formerly a
Mrs. James, a widow, whom he had met on one of his
preaching tours in Wales, and married in 1741. Although
he always spoke most highly of her, it is to be feared their
married life was not happy. Nor can we wonder at this, for
Whitefield's idea of courtship and matrimony was certainly
out of the ordinary run. He once wrote a letter to the
parents of a girl whom he thought would suit him as a help-
meet as follows :
•
' MY DEAR FRIENDS,
' I find by experience that a mistress is absolutely
necessary for the due management of my increasing family
(i.e., of orphans), and to take off some of that care which
at present lies upon me. ... It hath been, therefore, much
impressed upon my heart that I should marry, in order to
have a helpmate for me in the work. . . . This comes (like
Abraham's servant to Rebekah's relations) to know whether
you think your daughter, Miss E., is a proper person to
engage in such an undertaking. If so, whether you will be
552 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
pleased to give me leave to propose marriage unto her ?
You need not be afraid of sending me a refusal ; for, if I
know anything of my own heart, I am free from that foolish
passion which the world calls love. . . .
- ' GEORGE WHITEFIELD.'
The letter to the daughter was written in the same cold-
blooded way, and after asking her if she could bear the
inclemencies of a foreign climate, separation from her
husband for months at a time, trusting to Providence for
support for herself and children, and other things of a like
nature, it is not to be wondered at that she refused to have
him. It is strange that a man like Whitefield, who spoke
so feelingly as to move the roughest audiences to tears, should
himself have remained so callous to what he calls ' the foolish
passion.'
But this is only a small blemish in a beautiful and self-
sacrificing life, and these gardens, hallowed by their associa-
tions with. so great a man as Whitefield, will not be the least
important factor in keeping his memory green.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
VICTORIA PARK— MEAT H GARDENS.
VICTORIA PARK.
THOUGH Victoria Park has not acquired the pres-
tige of either Hyde or Regent's Park, it is not
inferior to either of them in natural beauty or
brightness of floral decoration. From end to end
it is somewhere about a mile and a quarter long, and it is
nearly half a mile wide at its broadest part. Every inch of
its large area of 217 acres contributes its quota towards
brightening the lives of the teeming thousands who dwell in
the densely-populated districts surrounding the park. This
splendid playground of the East End is quite as dear to the
industrial population who frequent it as the sweeping drives
and pleasant walks of the West End parks to their fashion-
able visitors. Besides, at Victoria Park the hard-working
artisan is a bit of a horticultural critic in his way. Some-
how, in the small back - gardens and crowded yards he
manages to rear many a choice specimen, so that the flowers
in the adjoining park have to be kept up to the mark. The
ornamental gardening alone is well worth going to see ; at
almost every season of the year there are bright flowers to
be seen. In the spring the beds are gay with tulips,
hyacinths, and other showy bulbs imported from Holland
to brighten our flower-gardens. These in the summer give
way to every possible variety of bedding-out plants. The
area is so large, and the beds so numerous, that the skill of
554
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
the officials is taxed to the utmost to infuse sufficient variety
into the whole of the large surface. Something like 200,000
plants are bedded out annually. In the nooks and corners
and trim lawns the beds are so arranged as to contrast most
favourably with the green verdure of the turf and the dark
background of shrubs. Many of them are extremely beautiful,
although composed of the simplest and commonest materials.
No sooner have the summer flowers faded than the chrysan-
themums are ready for exhibition, and here they are to be
seen to perfection in every form and variety with which we
The Principal Entrance to Victoria Park, with the Superintendent's Lodge.
have been familiarized in late years. Even in the winter the
large decorative house is full of floral life, and when the
wings are added which are required to make it complete, it
will be a very handsome structure, and form a permanent
attraction at a time when flowers are scarce. As the timber
of the park matures, it is becoming each year more delightful,
and the shrubs, especially the hollies, are certainly some of
the finest to be seen in any London park. The laying-out
of the park is a standing testimonial to the ability of Sir
James Pennethorne, who also designed Battersea Park.
The area of the park is so large that it is possible to pro-
VICTORIA PARK
555
vide for nearly every form of out-door amusement and recrea-
tion. Foremost among these must be placed swimming and
bathing, for which this park affords special facilities. As
many as 25,000 bathers have been counted on a summer
556 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
morning before eight o'clock. What an incalculable boon
open-air swimming-baths like those provided here must prove
to the neighbourhood ! The principal bathing-lake is 300 feet
long. It is provided with a concrete bottom, shelters, and
diving-boards, and all the accessories to make it a perfect
out-door swimming-bath, and it has been pronounced the finest
in the world. In case of accidents, two boatmen are always
on duty during the season, which is a necessary precaution
when the number of bathers is taken into account. Apart
from the two bathing-lakes, there is another large sheet of
ornamental water upon which boating is allowed. This lake
has a fine fountain spray playing in it, and the water seems
to abound with fish. On one of the islands is a two-
storied Chinese pagoda, which produces a pretty effect
with the trees and foliage surrounding it. This pagoda
was formerly the entrance to the Chinese Exhibition held
on the site now occupied by part of St. George's Place,
Knightsbridge.
In the summer cricket is amply provided for. There are
thirty-two pitches on the match-ground, not to speak of the
many games of the youngsters who are allowed to set up
their stumps or pile up their jackets on any part of the
unappropriated ground. For the followers of lawn-tennis
there are some thirty-seven courts, all of them free. In the
summer band performances are given, which attract con-
siderable audiences. There are four gymnasia, two of which
are specially reserved for children. The children certainly
are well looked after, and nothing can be pleasanter than to
stroll round from point to point and watch the happy little
crowds disporting themselves on swings and see-saws, sailing
their boats on the waters of the lake, or digging in the sand-
pit, apparently quite as happy as though they were within
sight and sound of the sea-waves.
Another feature which is very popular with the children is
the introduction of animal and bird life into the park. A
recently-erected aviary contains a varied selection of English
birds, such as pigeons and doves, chaffinches, linnets, green-
VICTORIA PARK
557
finches, and a pair of golden pheasants. But perhaps the
guinea-pigs afford more amusement to the youngsters. There
t
I
are goats in a rockery by themselves, and another enclosure
for deer.
558 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Altogether, Victoria Park forms a splendid playground,
and though the cost of maintaining it is considerable, it must
be admitted that the money is well spent, seeing that it
brings brightness to many lives whose lot is not of the
happiest.
Victoria Park was formed in accordance with the pro-
visions of an Act passed in 1840, entitled ' An Act to enable
Her Majesty's Commissioners of Woods and Forests to
complete a contract for the sale of York House, and to pur-
chase certain lands for a royal park." York House was
built for the Duke of York, second son of George III., and
by this Act was sold to the Duke of Sutherland for £72,000,
and renamed Sutherland House. It stands in St. James's
Park, close to the palace, and is considered the finest private
mansion in London. The work of laying out the park was
commenced in 1842, and it was opened to the public in 1845.
At the time of the formation of the park there was much
discussion as to the site which should be adopted. The
land-owners of Stepney, Limehouse, and its vicinity, urged
on the Commissioners that the south side of the Mile End
Road would form a more desirable position for a public park,
but time has amply proved that the site chosen was the best,
for the districts of Bow, Stratford, Hackney, Dalston, Clapton,
Kingsland, and Stoke Newington all derive benefit more or
less. The Queen visited the park which bears her name on
April 2, 1873, and in memory of her reception she presented
a clock and peal of bells to St. Mark's Church.
Victoria Park was maintained by Her Majesty's Office of
Works till November, 1887, when it was transferred, together
with Battersea and Kennington Parks, to the late Metro-
politan Board of Works, under the provisions of the London
Parks and Works Act passed in that year. These places of
recreation had, since their formation, been kept up at the
cost of the State, Parliament having annually voted the
money required. The vote had often been objected to by
the representatives of provincial constituencies in the House
of Commons, on the ground that the people of London
560 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
ought to pay for their own parks ; but until the year 1886
the objections had never prevailed. In that year (the first
of the new Parliament after the wide-spread extension of the
suffrage and the redistribution effected by the Act of 1885)
the House of Commons, upon being asked to make the usual
vote for the parks at first refused it ; and it was not till the
Government had promised to introduce a Bill to transfer the
charge to the ratepayers of London that the money was
voted for the year. The London Parks and Works Act, 1887,
was the result of this promise of the Government, by which
the charge of the places referred to was transferred to the
late Board.
Victoria Park as originally laid out contained only
193 acres. The remainder of the lands acquired for the
purpose were vested in Her Majesty's Commissioners of
Woods and Forests, who were empowered by their Act
to " lease any part of the said royal park, not exceeding in
the whole one fourth part, for the purposes of the same
being used as sites for dwelling-houses, or ornamental
buildings and offices and gardens thereto to be annexed."
By an Act of Parliament passed in 1852, the quantity of
land to be set apart for building was reduced to one-sixth of
that actually purchased. In the year 1872, when steps were
about to be taken to let this reserved land for building
purposes, a number of persons interested in the welfare
of the inhabitants of that portion of the Metropolis formed
themselves into a society for the purpose of extending the
area of the park so as to meet the requirements of the
immense and growing population of the East End. Their
first step was to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer to
submit .to Parliament a proposal that the project of building
on the ground not included in the park might be abandoned,
and that this area might be added to the park. The
Chancellor of the Exchequer expressed his inability to
adopt the course suggested to him, and the society there-
upon applied to the late Board for its assistance in attaining
the end in view. The Board, fully sympathizing with the
VICTORIA PARK 561
society's object, resolved to do what it could in the matter,
and waited upon the Chancellor by deputation. But their
object was not attained, for the right honourable gentleman,
whilst admitting the desirability of preserving as far as
possible all the open spaces in the Metropolis, was not able
to assent to the proposition that this should be done at the
cost of the State, which would be the case were the Crown
to forego its right of letting for building purposes the land
specially reserved to it under the statute. At that very time
negotiations were pending for letting portions of the land,
and it was promised that these should be suspended for
a week, in order to enable the Board to determine whether
it would purchase the land. The Board was equal to the
occasion, and it was resolved to purchase of the Crown such
portions of the ground remaining unlet as could properly and
conveniently be included in the park. The quantity was
about 23! acres, and the price agreed on was £20,450. The
agreement was that the land so bought should be annexed
to, and form part of, the park, and be maintained by Her
Majesty's Office of Works. This scheme was confirmed by
the Victoria Park Act, 1872. Some ten years before this,
another improvement in connection with Victoria Park had
been carried out by the late Board — viz., the formation of an
approach from Limehouse. This road, called Burdett Road,
is 70 feet in width, and nearly a mile long, and extends from
the point of junction of the East and West India Docks
Road to Mile End Road, and thus affords direct access to
the park by way of Grove Road. Burdett Road was opened
to the public on May 25, 1862.
Before passing to the historical associations of Victoria
Park, there are one or two buildings, in addition to those
already mentioned, which ought to be described. The
principal lodge, adjoining the Regent's Canal at Bonner Hall
Bridge, is a handsome building in the Elizabethan style. It
is of red bricks, with stone dressings, and was designed by
Sir James Pennethorne. Its principal feature is a lofty
square tower and entrance porch, which together make it an
36
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
imposing building. The chief structure in the park, how-
ever, from an architectural point of view is the large and
ornate drinking-fountain presented to the park by Lady
Burdett - Coutts, so well known for her endeavours to
ameliorate the condition of the East - End poor. It is
situated in an open part of the park, where its beauties are
not hidden in any way, and can be seen to great advantage.
The architect of this handsome fountain was Mr. H. A.
The Victoria Fountain, Victoria Park.
Darbishire, who also designed Columbia Market. The foun-
tain, approached by a flight of steps, is octagonal in shape
in the Gothic style of architecture, and is said to have cost
over £5,000. The shafts and bases are of polished granite,
relieved with coloured marbles. Within these are niches
containing marble figures, which pour the water from vases
into basins beneath. The whole structure is surrounded by
flower-beds, and altogether forms one of the principal features
of the park. The fountain was inaugurated June 28, 1862,
VICTORIA PARK
563
on which occasion Lady (then Miss) Burdett-Coutts was
present.
Facing the cricket-ground, some of the semi-octagonal
recesses which, according to the inscription upon them, came
from Old London Bridge have been placed in position, and
serve as alcoves. A doubt has been expressed about the
accuracy of the statement contained in this inscription, and
Alcove on Old Westminster Bridge, now in Victoria Park.
some authorities assert that the alcoves came from Old
Westminster Bridge. H.M. Office of Works was consulted
on the point, but without clearing up the doubt. The only
other building to be mentioned is an arcade furnished with
seats, which faces the ornamental lake.
No account of Victoria Park would be complete without
some reference to the position it occupies as the forum of
36—2
564 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
the East End. Victoria Park on Sunday is one of the great
revelations and surprises of out-door life. Strange to say,
the attractions on this day are not the beautiful scenery or
the fresh air, but those of public discussion and debate. At
the head of the lakes, close to the Victoria Fountain, is the
place for public meetings, which is a regular sea of heads on
Sunday, where the working men in their thousands crowd
round their favourite speakers. Here may be seen the
National Secularist Society, with their banner and portable
tribune, always sure of a large audience. The Roman
Catholics, too, are ably represented by the members of the
Guild of Our Lady of Ransom. Politics are introduced by
the Social Democratic Federation and the Independent
Labour party, but their following is not large when com-
pared with those who are interested in religious discussion.
Occupying one of the most picturesque positions, under the
group of trees known as ' the Eight Sisters,' will be found the
Tower Hamlets Mission, from the Great Assembly Hall in
the Mile End Road. They rely not only on the eloquence
of their speakers, for in addition they have a splendid brass
band, and here, and here only, many women form part of
the audience. Lastly, in point of order, but by no means in
numbers and importance, is the meeting held by the Christian
Evidence Society. This East London branch of the Christian
Evidence Society was established by the late Mr. Celestine
Edwards, the well-known coloured lecturer of Victoria Park.
It will be noticed that these meetings are not held to pro-
vide amusement. Apart from one group of boys and girls
listening to a young man who is reciting burlesque melo-
drama, all are engaged in strenuous controversy on social
questions as seen from the religious, political, or economic
point of view.*
The chief historical associations of Victoria Park centre
round the portion near the principal lodge and entrance by
* For further details as to the Sunday meetings, see an admirable
article on ' Sunday in East London : Victoria Park.' in Sunday at Home,
October, 1895.
VICTORIA PARK 565
Bonner Hall Bridge across the Regent's Canal. Close to
this spot, between the ornamental lake and the Hospital for
Diseases of the Chest, stood an ancient and famous building
known as Bishop's Hall or Bishop Bonner's Hall. This
was in all probability the manor-house of the extensive
Manor of Stebonheath or Stepney. The Bishops of London,
to whom this manor belonged, formerly resided at the
Manor-house of Bishop's Hall, where they had a private
chapel. Roger Niger, an early Bishop, is said to have died
Main Walk, Victoria Park.
here in 1241. Bishop Baldock, who dates many of his
public acts from Stepney, died here in 1313, and another
Bishop, Ralph Stratford, died at Stepney in 1355. Bishop
Braybrooke, who was Lord Chancellor, spent much of his
time at this mansion.* He died in 1404, and no authentic
account can be found of any Bishop residing here after this
date, although tradition always connects the name of cruel
Bishop Bonner with the manor-house. In 1548 we find
that this Bishop granted to Sir Ralph Warren a ninety-nine
* Rev. W. H. Frere, M.A., ' Two Centuries of Stepney History '
566 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
years' lease of a messuage and chapel at Bethnal Green,
evidently the manor-house in question.*
In 1588 we find it occupied by another layman, for in
that year John Fuller, of Bishop's Hall, gave £50 towards
the Armada defence fund. He was a Judge, and erected
some almshouses in Stepney. He formerly lived in the City
at Paul's Wharf, but transferred his residence afterwards to
Bishop's Hall.f In his will made March 29, 1592, he
bequeaths ' all my capital messuage, house, buildings, lands,
tenements, profits, easements, fishing and commodities
called Bishopshall unto Jane my wife.'
From Stow we learn that the land round the manor-house
was well wooded, and one of the Bishops slightly anticipated
the scheme of the Commissioners for forming a park of the
site ; but there was this difference, that he wanted it for his
private use, and wished to exclude the inhabitants who had
enjoyed the right of hunting here since very ancient times.
This Bishop was Richard de Gravesend, who in 1292 procured
a grant of free-warren from Edward I., and also a license
from him to enclose these woods and put wild beasts or deer
therein. When the petition of the Bishop to the King was
shown to the Aldermen of the city, they reported after con-
sideration ' that from the time whereof no memory is extant,
they had used to take and hunt within the said woods, and
without, hares, foxes, conies, and other beasts, where and
when they would. And they say, that they do not believe
that the lord the King granted him anything in prejudice of
the city's liberties ; wherefore they say that they desire to
use the liberties which hitherto they have used. And they
pray that the same Bishop may hold his woods in the form
and manner as his ancestors and predecessors have held
them. And they will not consent that he may enclose them,
nor will they grant him any warren. 'J This project was
therefore abandoned till the present century, when the
* Hill and Frere, ' Memorials of Stepney Parish,' p. viii.
| Ibid., p. 24, note.
J Quoted in Robinson's ' Hackney,' p. 202.
VICTORIA PARK 567
Government decided to make this popular improvement.
The Bishops, thus deprived of their sport, amused themselves
with tournaments, which were often held near the Bishop's
palace between the years 1305 and 1331.*
The site of these merry-makings cannot now be determined
exactly, but from the description given it is as likely as
not that they were held on the lands now forming the
park.
But we have already seen that the Bishop's palace came
into the hands of laymen, and the old place was partially
pulled down in 1800. With the materials a farmhouse was
erected to the east of the former site, which was removed in
connection with the laying out of the park and the formation
of approach-roads. f In a notice of sale this property was
described as ' the very desirable leasehold farm known by the
name of Bishop Bonner's or Bishop's Hall, advantageously
situated in the parishes of St. Matthew, Bethnal Green, and
St. John, Hackney, containing about 102 acres of rich
arable, meadow, and pasture land, in eight enclosures, lying
within a ring fence, in the centre of which is a spacious, con-
venient, new-built brick dwelling-house, with a brew-house,
stabling for twelve horses, etc.'J
The fields around the farmhouse were open to the public
till a few years after the opening of the park. These were
included in the lands described in the Act for the formation
of the park, although they are not now comprised in its area.
The chief event for which they will now be remembered is a
Chartist demonstration or fiasco, of which we reproduce
a contemporary account :
'Whit-Monday, 1848, which was predicated to figure as
a "white-stone" day in the annals of Chartism, will, alas!
only be remembered as the date of the most signal but most
quiet and noiseless triumph of law and order over the
grossest and most presumptuous folly and stupidity that
* Hill and Frere, ' Memorials of Stepney Parish,' p. v.
t Robinson, ' Hackney,' pp. 203, 456.
J From a book of newspaper extracts in the Tyssen Library.
568
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
ever disgraced a political design. For months past the
most absurd threats, couched in the vilest language, had
been indulged in with regard to the determination of the
Chartists to concentrate their forces on the Metropolis on
this day. At Clerkenwell, Islington, Finsbury, and all the
other districts announced to be the scenes of early meetings
during the morning of the day in question, the most marked
tranquillity prevailed, and it was soon understood that the
The Boating Lake, Victoria Park.
special honour was reserved for Bishop Bonner's Fields of
receiving the concentrated chivalry of all the Chartist clubs.
Accordingly, a squadron of ist Life Guards, having ridden
past the anticipated scene of action, took up their quarters
in a farmyard at the south-east side of Victoria Park, adjoin-
ing the bridge which crosses Duckett's Canal. To aid them
in keeping the peace, a detachment of 80 mounted police,
together with 1,100 constables (among whom 350 cutlasses
VICTORIA PARK 569
were distributed) and a battalion of 400 pensioners were
drafted to the scene. Up till one o'clock in the day the
number of persons assembled was perfectly insignificant,
and was evidently composed of persons attracted rather by
curiosity than by any sympathy which they entertained in
the objects of the "Chartist leaders. At one o'clock or a
little later, Dr. Macdouall, one of the Chartist leaders,
accompanied by several other well-dressed persons, said to
be associated with him in the management of the demonstra-
tion, arrived on the ground in a cab. He appeared to be
considerably agitated, and anxious to ascertain whether or
not the authorities were really determined to put a stop to
the meeting under any circumstances. Of this fact he
received several very strong assurances from persons in
authority, and it was made known that, besides the police
being considerably out of temper from the great fatigue and
annoyance inflicted on them by the freaks of the Chartists,
orders had been given to the military that, in the event of
their services being called into requisition, they were to act
" effectively." When Dr. Macdouall understood this, he
expressed his intention of immediately, preventing the
assemblage, and left the ground with his friends, followed
by a considerable crowd of boys. During this period there
was a heavy drizzle of rain, which had the effect of chasing
the mob beneath the trees for shelter ; and at three o'clock,
the hour appointed for the Chartist meeting, the rain
descended so heavily, and there being no appearance on
the part of the Chartists to adhere to their original design,
that it was considered advisable to march the unmounted
police off the ground to a neighbouring church for shelter.
At intervals, when the severity of the weather in some degree
moderated, several small knots of persons formed at different
parts of the grounds for the purpose of discussion, but they
were at once dispersed by the horse patrol. About four
o'clock, however, there came on a dreadful thunderstorm,
and the rain descended in torrents. Instantly the remain-
ing crowd ran away in all directions, seeking shelter where
570 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
they could, and choking the already crowded taverns of the
neighbourhood. At six o'clock the fields and the neighbour-
hood were quite deserted, by which time several of the
approaches were flooded to an extraordinary extent, and
nothing could be more striking than the contrast afforded
by the deserted appearance of Bishop Bonner's domain at
that hour, compared with its gay and lively aspect when
occupied with the military and spectators in the morning.
Thus ended the Chartist fiasco of 1848 in Bishop Bonner's
Fields.'*
The remainder of the park does not present any feature of
historical interest. The site was previously market-gardens
and brick-fields. The ornamental lake is made over one of
these rough brick-fields. The few cottages at the north of
the park, near Victoria Park Road, were formerly the
residences of some of these market-gardeners. When the
lands were purchased for the park, these cottages were re-
tained, and are now occupied by officials of the park.t
Shore Road, which commences at the north - western
corner of the park, and runs into Well Street, preserves the
memory of a tradition that Jane Shore once lived here.
Strype mentions this fact, and states that he was told this
was formerly the manor-house, and that the lord's court for
the Manor of King's Hold was held in this house. He thinks,
however, that the true name should be Shoreditch Place,
named after the owner of the mansion, Sir John Shoreditch,
a knight of the fourteenth or fifteenth century, who was
buried in Hackney Church, but whose monument and in-
scription have now disappeared. J The name of Shoreditch
seems to have been shortened to Shore Place, and was given
to the row of houses which have taken the place of the old
mansion. This place is said to have been one of the greatest
remains of antiquity in the parish of Hackney, which, with
* Condensed from a contemporary newspaper cutting in the Tyssen
Library, Hackney.
f 'Glimpses of Ancient Hackney/ by F.R.C.S., p. 169.
+ Strype's edition of Stow, vol. ii., p. 796.
MEATH GARDENS 571
the lands formerly belonging to it, is supposed to have been
a grant from Sir John Shoreditch in the year 1339 to William
de Corstone, chaplain to Edward III.*
MEATH GARDENS.
In close proximity to Victoria Park, to which they form a
valuable adjunct, are Meath Gardens, gj acres in extent,
originally known as Victoria Park Cemetery. Under their
former name, the gardens will long be remembered as a
disgrace and scandal, and many attempts have been made
in the past to compel the owners to properly maintain this
disused cemetery ; but as it was entirely of a private nature,
it was exempt from the legislation which affects such places.
Entrances to the ground had been burrowed from neigh-
bouring back-yards, and it became the resort of the loafers
and roughs of the East End, who came here to gamble and
amuse themselves by the wanton destruction of the decaying
property. It appears that the ground was originally pur-
chased in 1840 for building purposes from Mr. W. W.
Gretton by the late Charles Salisbury Butler, Esq., M.P. for
the Tower Hamlets. Before building operations were com-
menced, a company offered to purchase the ground for the
purposes of a cemetery. The purchase-money was to be
paid by annual instalments, and the company was duly
incorporated about 1845, and took over the land from Mr.
Butler. But as the annual payments were not forthcoming,
Mr. Butler was compelled to resume possession in 1853.
As interments had taken place, and the land generally
arranged for purposes of burial, including the erection of a
chapel, he was practically obliged to continue the ground as
a cemetery. This he did until the year 1876, when, for want
of further accommodation, it was finally closed. When Mr.
Butler died, his trustees found the cemetery a white elephant,
as they had to pay rent-charges amounting to £43 IDS. per
annum, and they had no return from the property. For
* Robinson, ' Hackney,' p. 84.
572
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
some time the cemetery was maintained in fair order, but it
was soon given up to the mercies of the roughs of the East
End. The cemetery was never consecrated, and the passing
of the Disused Burial-Grounds Act, 1884, prevented the
erection of any buildings upon it, otherwise the land would
have been worth some £40,900 as a building site. But the
provisions of the Act just quoted would not have prevented
Meath Gardens before Laying-out.
this cemetery from being used (as many private graveyards
have been) as store and lumber yards, carters' yards, or even
as sites for low-class fairs and entertainments.
In order to prevent this, the Metropolitan Public Gardens
Association in April, 1885, approached the Rev. J. B. M.
Butler, the son of the former proprietor, and asked him to
permit the association (if it could raise the funds) to lay out
MEATH GARDENS
573
the ground as a public garden. Mr. Butler expressed his
cordial sympathy with the project, and in February, 1886,
through his solicitors, stated that he would be quite willing
to hand over the ground for the purpose indicated, provided
some arrangement were made which would relieve him of
the maintenance of the disused cemetery, and of the pay-
Meath Gardens after Laying-out.
ment of the rent-charges. The Bethnal Green Vestry, who
were asked to undertake this, did not see their way clear to
do so, and as the funds of the association did not permit of
their meeting annual liabilities of this nature, the scheme had
to remain in abeyance for some time. So the cemetery con-
tinued in a very neglected and deplorable condition. The
appointment of the newly-formed London County Council
574 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
gave a fresh impetus to the negotiations, and finding that
this body were sympathetically inclined towards the scheme,
the Association again proceeded in the matter, and set to
work to obtain the necessary funds for the laying-out of the
ground. Among the principal donations were £500 promised
by a former Duke of Bedford shortly before his decease
(which promise was loyally redeemed by his successor, the
late Duke), and an anonymous gift of £ 1,000 ' in memoriam
Sidney Gilchrist Thomas.' Other smaller sums came in,
and in January, 1891, the association was in a position to
offer to lay out the ground, provided the London County
Council would undertake to maintain it and pay the rent-
charges. This offer was accepted in February, 1891, but
various legal difficulties involving much delay had to be
surmounted, and the works of laying-out could not be com-
menced till the end of March, 1893. The sum spent was
about £3,000 exclusive of the cost of repairing the outer
boundary railings, which was borne by the Council, who also
redeemed the rent-charge by a payment of £1,005.*
The ground was re-named Meath Gardens out of com-
pliment to the Earl of Meath, the energetic chairman of the
Metropolitan Public Gardens Association, of whose zeal and
perseverance for obtaining open spaces London has many
examples. The transformed cemetery was opened to the
public by H.R.H. the Duke of York, K.G., on July 20, 1894.
The greater portion of the ground is laid out as a garden,
and the remainder is devoted to two large playgrounds for
boys and girls, fitted with swings, see-saws, and gymnastic
apparatus. All who remember the gruesome state of this
disused burial-ground in years past, with its yawning chasms,
rank grass, and mutilated tomb-stones, will recognise what
a thorough transformation has taken place.
* These particulars are taken from the printed statement prepared by
the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association for the opening ceremony.
CHAPTER. XXIX.
WATERLOW PARK.
THE first event in the history of this place as a
municipal park dates back to a certain Tuesday
in November, 1889, when Lord Rosebery, the
first Chairman of the London County Council,
read the following letter :
' 29, CHESHAM PLACE,
' LONDON, S.W.
'My DEAR LORD ROSEBERY,
1 On the southern slope of Highgate Hill, in the
parish of St. Pancras, I own an estate of nearly 29 acres
in extent, which was for many years my own home. This
property, if judiciously laid out, would, I think, make an
excellent public park for the North of London. The grounds
are undulating, well timbered with oaks, old cedars of
Lebanon, and many other well-grown trees and shrubs.
There is also ij acres of ornamental water, supplied from
natural springs. The land is freehold, with the exception of
2 1 acres, held on a long lease, of which thirty-five and a half
years are unexpired. It is bounded almost entirely by public
roads and a public footpath. Commencing the work of my
life as a London apprentice to a mechanical trade, I was,
during the whole seven years of my apprenticeship, con-
stantly associated with men of the weekly-wage class, work-
ing shoulder to shoulder by their side. Later on, as a large
employer of labour, and in many various other ways, I have
seen much of this class and of the poorer people of London,
576 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
both individually and collectively. The experience thus
gained has from year to year led me more clearly to the
conviction that one of the best methods for improving and
elevating the social and physical condition of the working
classes of this great Metropolis is to provide them with
decent, well-ventilated homes on self-supporting principles,
and to secure for them an increased number of public parks,
recreation-grounds, and open spaces. This latter object
can, I think, be best accomplished by the kindness of in-
dividuals acting through the agency of the London County
Council, and with as little burden as possible on the public
rates. Therefore, to assist in providing large " gardens for
the gardenless," and as an expression of attachment to the
great city in which I have worked for fifty-three years, I
desire to present to the Council, as a free gift, my entire
interest in the estate at Highgate above referred to. On the
day when the conveyance is executed (and that may be as
soon as your solicitors have prepared the necessary legal
documents), I will, in addition, pay over to the Council the
sum of £6,000 in cash (the estimated value of the freehold
interest in the 2| acres of leasehold), this sum of money
to be used in purchasing this interest, or in defraying the
cost of laying out the estate as a public park in perpetuity as
the Council may deem most desirable. If your lordship is
of opinion that this proposal is one which the members of
the Council are likely to accept, this letter maybe communi-
cated to them as soon as you may deem expedient.
' I remain,
' Yours faithfully,
' (Signed) SYDNEY H. WATERLOW.'
' To the Earl of Rosebery,
' President of the London County Council.'
This generous offer, it is needless to say, was at once
accepted, and the London County Council took early steps
to protect the inhabitants of London against the loss of this
property through the operation of the Mortmain Act, which
WATERLOW PARK 577
provides that if any person makes any gift of land to a public
body, and dies within twelve months of doing so, his heirs
may recover possession of any such property. Sir Sydney
Waterlow is still alive, and it must be the wish of everyone
who visits this charming little park that he may long be
spared to continue his good work.
Although certain alterations had to be made in the grounds
to adapt them for public use, they still retain much of their
original character, and were it not for the numbers of visitors,
it would be easy to imagine one's self in the garden of some
country mansion. Owing to the undulating nature of the
park, it is not possible to play any games which require
a large level surface, with the exception of lawn tennis, for
which several courts have been provided. The park, there-
fore, rests for its attractions mainly upon its natural features.
There are two particular points in the gardening which call
for special attention. These are the herbaceous border, and
the old flower-garden where all the floral favourites in which
our grandfathers delighted may be seen amidst the novelties
of the present day. In the autumn there is a chrysanthemum
show, to the success of which the climate contributes in no
small degree. Many of the fruit-trees have been allowed to
remain, and the fruit from these, together with the grapes
grown in the vineries, are given to the hospitals and similar
institutions of the neighbourhood. Bird and animal life
is much encouraged here, and there are several aviaries
stocked with British birds, and a guinea-pig house, much to
the amusement of the youthful generation. On an elevated
position is a rustic bandstand, around which is a gravelled
promenade for the convenience of the many visitors attracted
by the music.
The principal building in the park is a quaint, picturesque
mansion known as Lauderdale House, rich in its associations,
as we shall see later. Apart from the cost of restoring this,
a sum of nearly £5,000 was spent in laying out the park,
which was opened by Sir John Lubbock in the presence of
the donor and a brilliant company in October, 1891. Since
37
578 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
this time the lake which was originally in the grounds has
been supplemented with two other sheets of water, much to
the improvement of the park.
We can now pass to the history of Waterlow Park, which
is as interesting as the place is charming, making it one of
London's permanent attractions.
The district of Highgate, including the site of the park,
was in ancient times part of that huge forest which sur-
rounded the northern side of the Metropolis. This forest of
Middlesex was the haunt not only of thieves and robbers,
but of dangerous wild beasts, such as wolves and boars.
Mention is made by Mathew Paris in his ' Life of the Twelfth
Abbot of St. Albans ' of the dangers experienced by the
pilgrims proceeding to that shrine from London ' in con-
sequence of the impenetrable woods which adjoined it (i.e.,
the road), and which were also full of beasts of prey.'* One
of the oldest of London topographers, Fitz-Stephen, writing
between 1170 and 1180, tells us this forest of Middlesex ' was
full of yew-trees, the growth of which was particularly en-
couraged in those days, and for many succeeding ages,
because the wood of them was esteemed the best for making
bows.' According to Maitland, this ancient forest was dis-
afforested in 1218, in the reign of Henry III., but as late as
Henry VIII. 's time a considerable portion remained, for we
find a proclamation of his, dated July 7, 1546, running as
follows : ' Forasmuch as the king's most royall matie is much
desirous to have the games of hare, partridge, pheasaunt, and
heron, p'served in and about his honor, att his palace of
Westm for his owne disport and pastime ; that is to saye,
from his said palace of West™ to St. Gyles in the Fields, and
from thence to Islington, to or Lady of the Oke, to Highgate,
to Hornsey Parke, to Hamstead Heath, and from thence to
his said palace of Westm, to be preserved and kept for his
owne disport, pleasure, and recreac'on ; his highness there-
fore straightlie chargeth and commaundeth all and singuler
his subjects, of what estate, degree, or condic'on soev' they
* Quoted in Prickett's ' Highgate,' p. 5.
WATERLOW PARK 579
be, that they, ne any of them, doe p'sume or attempt to hunt
or to hawke, or in any meanes to take or kill any of the said
games within the precinctes aforesaid, as they tender his
favor, and will estchue the ymprisonment of their bodies, and
further punishment at his mats will and pleasure.'* As the
wolves and boars and other wild beasts are not mentioned,
The Grove, the second residence of Coleridge at Highgate.
we may suppose they had withdrawn by this time to some
safer retreat. This forest has been gradually disappearing
from this date, but has not yet entirely gone, Bishop's
Wood, opposite Caen Wood, Highgate Wood, and other
similar places, being parts of this once extensive tract.
The name of Highgate is said by Norden to be derived
* Quoted in Prickett's ' Highgate,' p. 7.
37—2
580 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
from the toll-gate, through which traffic passed on its way to
and from the north. ' Highgate, a hill over which is a
passage, and at the top of the same hill is a gate through
which all maner passengers have their waie ; the place
taketh its name of this high gate on the hill, which gate was
erected at the alteration of the way, which was on the E. of
Highgate. When the way was turned over the said hill to
leade through the parke of the Bishop of London, as now it
doth, there was in regard thereof a toll raised upon such as
passed that way with carriage. And for that no passenger
should escape without paying toll by reason of the widenes
of the way, this gate was raised through which of necessitie
all travellers pass. This toll is now farmed of the said
Bishop at £40 per annum.'*
The same authority also states : ' Upon this hill is most
pleasant dwelling, yet not so pleasant as healthful, for the
expert inhabitants there report that divers who have long
been visited by sickness not curable by physicke, have in a
short time repayred their health by that sweet salutaire aire.'
This testimonial of the sixteenth century to the salubrity of
Highgate is confirmed at the present day by the number of
convalescent homes established here.
The high gate referred to was really a brick archway
extending across the road, with rooms over it, which were
reached from a staircase in the eastern buttress. This
archway was so narrow that waggons with high loads could
not pass through it, but had to be taken through the yard at
the rear of the Gatehouse Tavern. Although it was after-
wards widened for carriages, it became such an obstruction
that it had to be taken down in 1769, when an ordinary
turnpike gate was substituted.
We must not omit to mention another derivation of the
word Highgate. It has been suggested that this is an
example of the use of the word * gate ' in the sense of road, so
that Highgate would simply mean the high road.f The
* Norden, ' Speculum Britannicae.'
f Taylor, ' Words and Places,' p. 252.
WATERLOW PARK
581
formation of this road over the hill taking the place of the
old one by Crouch End, Muswell Hill, and Friern Barnet,
was in main part the origin of the village of Highgate, or at
any rate the cause which led it to attain any considerable
importance.
Of the buildings now remaining in the park, the only one
that lays any claim to antiquity is Lauderdale House. This
only narrowly escaped destruction. At the time when the.
park was opened this house had become quite unsafe, and it
Lauderdale House, Waterlow Park.
was an open question whether it should be pulled down, or
whether a large sum should be spent in restoration. It was
eventually decided to restore it at a cost of nearly £3,000,
which course was adopted mainly through the influence of
the architectural profession. The external features remain
the same, but the interior, in which is preserved all the old
panelling, has been fitted up so as to serve for a refreshment-
room, and as model dwellings for some of the workmen
employed in the park. The refreshment bars are naturally
on the ground-floor, and occupy the whole of it with the
5.82 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
exception of a large room fitted with seats, which is used as
a shelter in case of rain. Here will be found some interesting
relics of bygone days. The principal of these is generally
known as ' Nell Gwynne's bath.' This is placed in a recess
in the hall, the oak pillars and architecture of which are
richly carved. The bath itself is of marble, and is in a good
state of preservation. Over the fireplace, which is fitted with
an ancient iron stove, is another specimen of old carving, with
figures in high relief, the subject of which is much disputed.
Lauderdale House was built probably about 1660 for the
Duke of Lauderdale, one of the notorious Cabal ministry
of Charles II. His qualities were such that he was detested
by Royalists and Roundheads alike. He was mainly instru-
mental in selling Charles I. to the English army, at which
time he posed as a Covenanter ; but after the Restoration he
turned completely round, and became one of the most ardent
persecutors these hunted people ever had. He established
the horrors of an inquisition in Scotland, of which country
he was Lord Deputy. Sir Walter Scott has made us familiar
in his ' Old Mortality ' with the racks, thumbscrews, and iron
boots used by this tyrant and his comrade, Archbishop
Sharpe, whilst his army was pursuing the Covenanters to the
mountains with fire and sword. One more master-touch
from Carlyle, who describes ' his big red head,' and we have
this monster complete, who enriched himself at the expense
of the people whom he persecuted. It is pleasant to turn
from this loathsome wretch to another occupant of Lauder-
dale House, who will always "be popular, and that is pretty
Nell Gwynne. While Lauderdale was away in Scotland carry-
ing out his murderous work, his master used often to borrow
his house for his favourite mistress. Her beauty and her
ready wit had raised her to the stage from being an oyster
and orange wench, and as an actress she attracted Charles's
attention by a droll incident. A hit had been made on the
stage by an actor who performed the part of Pistol in a hat
of unusually large size. A rival manager, determined to
outdo this performance, had Nelly appear in a hat as large
WATERLOW PARK 583
as a coach-wheel. This so tickled the King, that she at
once took his fancy, and she afterwards gained complete
ascendancy over that weak and dissolute monarch. Although
never favoured with the wealth and titles conferred on other
mistresses of less amiable qualities, she was remembered by
her royal lover on his death-bed, who urged his brother not
to let ' poor Nelly starve.'
Everyone knows the well-worn anecdote which connects
Nell Gwynne with Lauderdale House. She was anxious to
obtain a title for her eldest son, a favour which she had long
been unsuccessful in gaining. On one occasion, when Charles
was walking in the garden, she held the child out of the
window, saying, ' If you do not do something for him, I will
drop him.' Whereupon he immediately replied, ' Save the
Earl of Burford.' And so this title, and afterwards that of
Duke of St. Albans, was given to him.
We must not forget another visitor to Lauderdale House,
none other than our old friend Pepys, who seems in his
wonderful life to have seen everything. On July 28, 1666,
he went ' To the Pope's Head, where my Lord Brouncker
and his mistress dined. . . . Thence with my Lord to his
coachhouse, and there put six horses into his coach, and he
and I alone to Highgate. Being come hither, we went to
my Lord Lauderdale's house, to speak with him, and find
him and his lady and some Scotch people at supper ; pretty
odd company, though my Lord Brouncker tells me my
Lord Lauderdale is a man of mighty good reason and judg-
ment. But at supper there played one of their servants upon
the viallin some Scotch tunes only ; several, and the best of
their country, as they seemed to esteem them, by their
praising and admiring them ; but, Lord ! the strangest ayre
that ever I heard in my life, and all of one cast.' Pepys
ought to have been introduced to the bagpipe !
Coming down now to modern times, Lauderdale House
was in 1843 the residence of Lord Westbury before his
elevation to the Wool-sack, and still later it was granted rent-
free by Sir Sydney Waterlow to the trustees of St. Bartholo-
584
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
mew's Hospital (of which institution he was treasurer) as a
branch convalescent home.
Next to Lauderdale House, on the site of the new circular
aviary, stood the residence of Andrew Marvell, poet and patriot.
An unpretentious wood-and-plaster cottage, with central bay
and porch, it was quite dwarfed by the surrounding mansions.
Of all the eminent characters that have been associated with
Waterlow Park, Marvell must be accorded the first place.
Andrew Marvell' s Cottage, formerly on the site oj Waterloiv Park. (From a
photograph taken in 1848.)
His father was master of the Grammar School at Hull, and
is said to have lost his life in crossing the Humber in a storm
to assist in the passage of a young couple about to be married.
Andrew, born in 1620, was M.P. for Hull from 1660 till his
death in 1678, and it was his custom to send a weekly (some
say daily) letter to his constituents, by whom he was paid,
giving a precise account of each day's parliamentary pro^
ceedings. When he first represented Hull he was in no wise
WATERLOW PARK 585
unfriendly to the Court ; but the unprincipled proceedings
and licentious lives of the King and his ministers alienated
the honest patriot, 'and he sternly opposed their arbitrary
policy. Such a course naturally brought down upon him the
displeasure of the Court, and as he had not spared the King
in his attacks, a royal proclamation was made offering a
large reward for his arrest. He thought it prudent to retire
to Hull, but died suddenly, almost at once, and he is
generally supposed to have been poisoned by his enemies.
In addition to his work in Parliament, he was a great
writer, exposing in a particularly sarcastic way the corrup-
tions of Church as well as of State. The chief of his writings,
which were very voluminous, were ' The Rehearsal Trans-
posed ' — a stinging attack on Bishop Parker for his wordli-
ness and persecution of the Nonconformists — and ' An
Account of the Growth of Popery and Arbitrary Govern-
ment in England.'
It is a great loss to Highgate that this cottage should have
been taken down in 1869, owing to its unsafe condition.
The little slip of garden behind, with its raised walk, where
Andrew Marvell used to write his poetry, is now a part of
the park.
Ascending the hill once more, we come to a more modern
mansion, Fairseat House, which was formerly the home of
Sir Sydney Waterlow. We have already explained that
these grounds, although intended ultimately to form part of
the park, cannot yet be opened to the public. This house is
of too recent erection to boast any historical associations.
On the occasion of the visit of the Prince and Princess of
Wales to Lauderdale House on July 8, 1872, to inaugurate
the convalescent home, Sir Sydney had the honour of
receiving them here as his guests. The house is spacious,
and naturally commands extensive views.
On the opposite side of the road to Lauderdale House is
Cromwell House, the octagonal turret of which forms a
pleasant feature in the background of the park, although it
is out of place in the architecture of the building. This
586
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
red-brick mansion is a testimony to the good building of our
forefathers. It is said to have been built by Cromwell, and
that he himself dwelt in it, within a stone's-throw of Andrew
Marvell, another prominent man in the Commonwealth.
As no direct evidence can be obtained to support the tradi-
tion that Cromwell ever dwelt here, the theory has to be
abandoned for another which says that the house was built
by Cromwell for his son-in-law, General Ireton, who had
Cromwell House, Highgate.
married his daughter Bridget in 1646. If this was so, he
could not have lived here very long, for soon after his
marriage he was called away on active service ; in 1649 he
accompanied the Protector to Ireland, and was left in com-
mand there as Lord Deputy, but he died of inflammatory fever
at Limerick in 1651. His widow afterwards became the wife
of General Fleetwood.
Ireton was as clever a scholar as a soldier, and was
certainly Cromwell's right-hand man. At the victorious
WATERLOW PARK 587
Battle of Naseby he commanded the left wing, but in spite
of his bravery and steadiness he was unable to withstand the
onslaught of Prince Rupert. Convinced of the treachery of
Charles, he had voted strongly for his death, and signed the
warrant for his execution. He was incorruptible, and
showed his sense of honour by refusing an allowance of
£2,000 out of the confiscated estates of the Duke of Buck-
ingham. Cromwell House was evidently built, and internally
ornamented, in accordance with the taste of its military
occupant. The rooms are large and of good proportion,
and have the ceilings moulded in scroll patterns. The fine
old oak staircase is a feature of the house. It is richly
ornamented with carved balusters, and on the newels are
a series of ten carved figures about a foot high representing
various types of the Parliamentary army. It is said that
there were once twelve figures, the remaining two being
Cromwell and Ireton. The balustrades are filled in with
devices emblematical of warfare. There are some ceilings
on the first-floor executed in rich plaster work, ornamented
with a coat of arms said to be Ireton's, together with mould-
ings of fruit and flowers. The front of the house is rather
low, being only of two stories, and it formerly had a platform
on the roof, from which a good panoramic view for a con-
siderable distance could be obtained. This platform was
removed in the restoration of the house after a fire which
occurred in 1864, when it was occupied as a boarding-
school. Fortunately, the grand old staircase was preserved
from destruction. Externally the house, which is now used
as a convalescent home for children, presents few features
of interest.
Next to Cromwell House, facing the entrance from High
Street, stood another stately mansion, Winchester Hall,
which has now disappeared, and with it the fine trees by
which it was surrounded.
Going now in the opposite direction, past Cromwell
House, we are on the site of Arundel House, the seat of the
Earls of Arundel, pulled down in 1825. This, too, was an
588
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
ancient mansion dating back to the seventeenth century,
around which clings much romantic history. This is sup-
posed to be the same house described by Norden in his
account of Highgate written nearly 300 years ago : ' At this
place - - Cornwalleys, Esq., hath a very faire house, from
which he may with good delight beholde the statelie citie
of London, Westminster, Greenwich, the famous river of
Thamyse, and the country towards the south verie farre.'*
There is in the Harleian MSS.f a letter of Sir Thomas
The Lake, Waterlow Park.
Cornwallis, dated ' Hygat, July 16, 1587.' He was knighted
in 1548, so that the ' — Cornwalleys, Esq.', mentioned by
Norden is in all probability his son William. The Corn-
wallises during their stay here were honoured by visits from
royalty, including Queen Elizabeth, who is said to have
visited them in June, 1589. The bellringers at St. Margaret's,
Westminster, were paid sixpence on June n, when the
Queen's Majesty came from Highgate. J Whether or no
* Norden, 'Speculum Britannicas ': 'Middlesex.' 410., 1593.
t Lysons, ' Environs of London.'
| Nichols, ' Progresses of Queen Elizabeth,' vol. iii., p. 30.
WATERLOW PARK 589
Queen Bess was here, it is certain that James I. and his
Queen were entertained right royally in 1604 by Sir William
Cornwallis at his house in Highgate. On this occasion Ben
Jonson was employed to prepare his dramatic interlude of
1 The Penates.' At the end of the same year Sir Thomas
Cornwallis died, and, to quote a writer in the Gentleman^
Magazine, * ' it is most probable that Sir William then
removed to reside in the Suffolk mansion (at Brome), as we
hear no more of his family in Highgate. This residence, it
is clear, . . . had been the principal one in the place, and
as we find the Earl of Arundel occupying one of a similar
description a few years later, whilst we have no information
of his having erected one for himself, there appears reason
to presume that it was the same mansion. The first mention
I have found of the Earl of Arundel at Highgate is of the
date 1617. . . . During the absence of the Court, the lords
were entertained by turns at each other's houses ; and in
Whitsun week . . . the Countess of Arundel — the Earl
being with the King in Scotland — made a great feast at
Highgate to the Lord Keeper, the two Lords Justices, the
Master of the Rolls, and I know not whom else. It was
after the Italian manner, with four courses, and four table-
cloths one under another; and when the first course and
table-cloth were taken away, the Master of the Rolls, Sir
Julius Caesar, thinking all had been done, said grace, as his
manner was when no divines were present, and was after-
wards well laughed at for his labour.'
James I. was evidently so pleased with his former recep-
tion here that we find him making another visit in 1624.
He arrived at the Earl of Arundel's late on Sunday evening,
June 2, and slept the night, in order that he might hunt the
stag in St. John's Wood early next morning, f
But probably the most important historical connection
of Arundel House is with Lord Bacon, who died here in
1626. This statement is made by Aubrey, on the authority
* Gentleman's Magazine for 1828, part i., p. 588.
f Nichols, ' Progresses of King James I.,' vol. iii., p. 978.
590 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
of Thomas Hobbes, an intimate friend of Bacon's, and the
circumstances are certainly interesting enough to be quoted
in full :
' The cause of his Lordship's death was trying an experi-
ment, as he was taking the aire in the coach (April 2, 1626)
with Dr. Witherborne, a Scotchman, physician to the King.
Towards Highgate snow lay on the ground, and it came into
my Lord's thoughts why flesh might not be preserved in
snow as in salt. They were resolved they would try the
experiment presently ; they alighted out of the coach and
went into a poor woman's house at the bottom of Highgate
Hill, and bought a hen and stuffed the body with snow, and
my Lord did help to do it himself. The snow so chilled
him that he immediately fell so ill, he could not return to
his lodgings (I suppose then at Gray's Inn), but went to
the Earl of Arundel's house at Highgate, where they put
him into a good bed warmed with a panne, but it was a
damp bed that had not been laid in for about a yeare
before, which gave him such a cold that he died in 2 or
3 days ; as I remember he (Hobbes) told me, he died of
suffocation.'
In confirmation of this, one of his biographers, Rawley,
writing in 1671, says : ' He died on the gth of April, 1626
... at the Earl of Arundel's house in Highgate, to which
place he casually repaired about a week before ; God so
ordaining that he should die there of a gentle fever, accident-
ally accompanied by a great cold, whereby the defluction
of rheume fell so plentifully upon his breast that he died
by suffocation.'
There is also extant a letter from Lord Bacon to the Earl
of Arundel, who was evidently not here at the time, explain-
ing that he was taken ill after making the experiment referred
to, and was staying at his house at Highgate, but was pre-
vented by his fit of sickness from writing personally.*
One other romantic circumstance is connected tradition-
* * Letters and Remains of the Lord Chancellor Bacon,' collected by
Robert Stephens. 1734.
WATERLOW PARK
591
ally with this house, and that is the escape of Arabella
Stuart in male attire. The proprietor of the house when
this took place is said to have been Mr. Conyers. As this
happened in 1611, and the first mention of the Earl of
Arundel at Highgate is in 1617, it is supposed that Mr.
--/-•l-^'fSEK*
"2 /r M^
4'!' ' ' ££- d
An Old-fashioned Gateway, Watevlow Park.
Conyers was the owner or lessee of the mansion after the
Cornwallises. Arabella Stuart led a miserable life on
account of her dangerous nearness to the throne, and the
jealousy of Elizabeth and James I. Both of these did all
in their power to prevent her being married. James had
592 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
discovered that she was attached to William Seymour,
second son of Lord Beauchamp, but had forbade them to
marry without his permission. Much to his indignation,
however, he found out that they had been secretly married
without his knowledge. Seymour was at once committed
to the Tower, and Arabella was ordered away to Durham,
to be looked after by the Bishop, but she had gone no
farther than Barnet when she was attacked with a fever,
no doubt brought on by the great nervous strain of her
troubles. By the permission of the King, very reluctantly
given, she was brought back to Highgate, and was allowed
to stay here for some time, during which she was actively
engaged in concocting a scheme of escape with her husband.
It was arranged for her to make her way to Gravesend,
disguised in male attire, where her husband was to join her,
and together they were to sail to France. Arabella succeeded
in reaching the boat in safety, but her husband, although he,
too, had effected his escape, did not arrive before the French
captain put to sea, who was impatient owing to the risk he
was running. But the fates were against her, for the
Government, as soon as they were aware that the birds had
flown, sent out a number of war-vessels in pursuit, one of
which captured the French ship near Calais, and brought
the fugitive back. She was confined in the Tower, and died
there of a broken heart some four years afterwards. Seymour
managed to escape to Flanders, and, after the death of his
wife was allowed to return to England, and lived for many
years. This, then, is the story connected with Arundel
House as given in most histories of Highgate. But in fair-
ness we must point out that Mr. Thorne, in his ' Environs
of London,' says that this is a mistake, and affirms that the
house was that of Mr. Conyers at East Barnet.
Next to Arundel House, further up the Bank, formerly
stood another mansion,* the residence of Sir John Wollaston,
and afterwards of Sir Thomas Abney, whose name is chiefly
remembered now in Abney Park Cemetery, which is on the
* Prickett, * Highgate,' p. 108.
WATERLOW PARK
593
site of some of his property. Sir Thomas was Lord Mayor
of London in 1700, and afterwards represented the City in
the Parliament that secured the throne to the House of
Brunswick. Sir Thomas has now probably been forgotten,
A Quiet Nook in Waterlow Park.
but his friend and chaplain, Dr. Isaac Watts, who lived in his
family for upwards of thirty years, has gained undying fame.
The western side of the park is divided from Highgate
Cemetery by Swain's Lane, an alteration for the better of
38
594 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Swine's Lane, by which it was formerly known. The
cemetery has the advantage of attractive situation, and is
tastefully laid out. Were it not for the numerous monu-
ments, it might be taken for a park, with its shady groves
of trees, its flower - beds, and its numerous plantations.
Cemeteries laid out as gardens are comparatively modern
luxuries, although Evelyn had suggested them after the
Great Fire of London. His idea was to have one huge
necropolis just outside the city, divided into portions for the
various parishes, ' and with ample walks of trees ; the walks
adorned with monuments, inscriptions, and titles, apt for
contemplation and memory of the defunct.' All these
features are combined at Highgate, and they certainly make
the cemetery a very popular one. Among others interred
here are Michael Faraday, chemist and philosopher ; Sir
William Ross, the celebrated miniature painter ; the father
and mother of Charles Dickens and his little daughter Dora,
familiar to the readers of ' David Copperfield.' But perhaps
the tombs which have attracted the greatest numbers are
those of Tom Sayers, the pugilist, bearing the portrait of
himself and his dog, Wombwell, of menagerie fame, with
his lion standing over him, and Lillywhite, the cricketer,
whose marble monument, erected by the members of the
Marylebone Club, is carved with a wicket struck by a ball,
representing the well-known cricketer as ' bowled out.'
Coming back now to the east side again, the classical
buildings overlooking the park form the Roman Catholic
colony of Highgate. There was at one time a noted road-
side inn here, the Black Dog. Afterwards it became a
private residence, and was purchased, with its grounds, by
the Passionist Fathers for a monastery, known as St. Joseph's
Retreat. There are large schools for boys and girls, built of
light-coloured brick, with ornamental string courses, and a
porch, surmounted by a turret rising high above the roof.
The first Superior of the monastery was the Hon. and Rev.
George Spencer, who adopted the name of Father Ignatius.
Although a clergyman of the Church of England, with very
WATERLOW PARK
595
fair prospects of advancement, seeing that his brother was a
member of the Cabinet, he joined the Church of Rome, and
adopted the cowl, gown, and sandals of the Passionists.
The author of the ' Life of Father Ignatius ' writes : * In
1858 we procured the place in Highgate now known as St.
Joseph's Retreat. Providence guided us to a most suitable
position. Our rule prescribes that our houses shall be out-
St. Joseph's Retreat Entrance, Waterlow Park.
side the town, and yet near enough for us to be of service in
it. Highgate is wonderfully adapted to all the requisitions
of our rule and constitution. Situated on the brow of a hill,
it is far enough from the din and noise of London to be
comparatively free from its turmoil, and yet sufficiently near
for its citizens to come to our church. The grounds are
enclosed by trees ; a hospital at one end and two roads
meeting at the other promise a freedom from intrusion and
38—2
596 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
a continuance of the solitude which we now enjoy.' The
new monastery, erected in 1875-6, was designed by Mr.
Francis W. Tasker, and was consecrated by the late
Cardinal Manning. The accommodation of the building
is quite complete. There are forty cells for the monks,
rooms for guests, library, refectory, and the usual rooms and
offices. These are grouped round three sides of a square,
and the design is in the style of the monastic buildings of
Central Italy. The walls are faced with white Suffolk bricks,
with stone dressings, and the roofs, which project in a re-
markable manner, are covered with large Italian tiles.
Opposite the monastery is a building of a very different
character — the Old Crown public-house, with its tea-gardens
and arbours, which forms a link with the past history of
Highgate.
This small park we have found, then, to be very rich in its
historical associations, and if we were to slightly enlarge the
circle of its surroundings we should find many more places
of equal interest. To the north is the Highgate Grammar
School and Chapel, both of which replace buildings of great
antiquity and history. Underneath the chapel is the vault
containing the remains of the poet Coleridge, who lived for
nineteen years in the Grove, facing the church. Descending
the hill are many relics of Whittington — almshouses founded
through his generosity, a stone pedestal marking the place
where he heard the bells, and other spots around which
clings many a romantic tale. But for these we must refer
the reader to the many excellent histories of Highgate.
CHAPTER XXX.
WESTERN COMMONS.
EEL BROOK COMMON, PARSON'S GREEN, BROOK GREEN,
WORMWOOD SCRUBS.
THESE open spaces were formerly wastes of the
Manor of Fulham. Under the name of Fullon-
ham (which is interpreted as ' the habitation of
fowls'), this manor is said to have been granted
about the year 691 to Erkenwald, Bishop of London, by
Tyrhtilus, Bishop of Hereford, with the consent of the Kings
of the East Saxons and of the Mercians. History does not
relate how it came into the possession of the Bishops of
Hereford. This Erkenwald, to whom the manor was given,
was son of Offa, King of the East Saxons, and he appears to
have been a man of singular learning and attainments for
the time in which he lived. He expended large sums in the
purchase of lands to augment his see, and he also obtained
for it many privileges, through his influence with the kings
of the neighbouring districts. Although the original grant
of the manor may be rather obscure, it is well established
that it belonged to the Bishops of London long before the
Conquest. It has remained in their possession ever since,
with the exception of the interregnum of the seventeenth
century. At the time of the Norman survey we find : ' In
Fuleham the Bishop of London held forty hides. ... Its
whole value was forty pounds ; the like when received. In
Edward's time the value was fifty pounds. The manor was,
598 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
and is, part of the see.'* The present lords of the manor
are the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, whose rights in the
three first-mentioned commons were purchased by the late
Metropolitan Board of Works in 1881 for the sum of £ 5,000.
A further sum of £2,000 was paid to the Homage Jury of
the Manor of Fulham for the rights of the commoners,
making £7,000 in all.
Brook Green and Parson's Green have many things in
common. They take us back in thought to the early days
of Hammersmith and Fulham, when they were the village
greens of separate communities, and not part of the gigantic
London of the present day. The commons, or rather their
surroundings, are now in a transitional state. There are a
few dilapidated cottages and houses of good standing dating
back to these rural times, and sandwiched in between these
are new and staring modern villas, which will in a few years
swallow up all the remaining space. It will be a wrench to
lose all the relics of a bygone age, but perhaps it will be
better than to gaze on the present incongruous patchwork
around the greens.
Although Parson's Green is identified with the Manor of
Fulham, there is some doubt as to whether it was not part
of the Manor of Rosamunds, of which mention is made in
ancient records. In all probability this manor was a sub-
sidiary one to the Manor of Fulham. We find ih 1451 the
Manor of Rosamunds was alienated by Agnes Haseley to
Henry Weaver, and the widow of Sir Henry Weaver died in
1480 ' seised of the Manor of Rosamunds in Fulham.'
Nothing later than this has been discovered about this
manor, but it is supposed to be the estate at Parson's Green
adjoining the Rectory House. A tradition states that the
manor-house was a palace of ' Fair Rosamond.' There was
a house once facing the green known as Rosamunds, which
retained the memory of this vanished manor.!
Parson's Green takes its name from the parsonage-house
* Faulkner, 'History of Fulham,' 1813, p. 165.
f Ibid., p. 307.
WESTERN COMMONS 599
or rectory of the parish of Fulham, in which the rectors of
Fulham used to reside. This rectory is reported to have
been the residence of Adoniram Byfield, the noted Pres-
byterian Chaplain to Colonel Cholmondeley's regiment in
the Earl of Essex's army, who took so prominent a part in
Cromwellian politics that he became immortalized in ' Hudi-
bras.'* Bowack, writing in 1705, speaks of an old stone
building which adjoined it, and which he conjectured was
designed for religious use, in all probability as a chapel for
the rectors and their domestics. At the time he wrote it
was about three or four hundred years old. He continues :
' Before the said house is a large common, which, within the
memory of several ancient inhabitants, now living, was used
for a bowling-green. 'f This ancient stone building was
pulled down about 1742, and the parsonage or rectory, after
being divided into two, has since shared the same fate. On
this side, adjoining Rectory Road, is the church of St. Dionis,
built of red brick with stone dressings, having a square
castellated tower of pleasing appearance.
Clustering round the green are, or were, several historic
houses. Many of these have been pulled down or altered,
and others are in a ruinous state. Peterborough House, on
the south-west of the green, was built on the site of a famous
mansion once standing here. The first name of the older
house was Brightwells, which is described in ancient records
as the property of John Tarnworth, Privy Councillor of
Queen Elizabeth, who died here in 1569 (according to some
1599). It afterwards successively belonged to Sir Thomas
Knolles and Sir Thomas Smith, Clerk of the Council, Latin
Secretary, and Master of the Requests to James I. The
latter owner died here in 1609, and the estate was conveyed
by marriage to Hon. Thomas Carey, who married the only
daughter of Sir T. Smith. In all probability he rebuilt the
mansion, at any rate, it was now known by the name of
Villa Carey. Francis Cleyn, who came over to England in
* Croker, 'Walk from London to Fulham,' p. 165.
f Bowack, 'Antiquities of Middlesex,' p. 58.
6oo
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
the reign of James I., and was in great repute for painting
ceilings, was employed in the decorations. In 1660 this
estate was in the possession of John, Lord Mordaunt, a
younger son of the first Earl of Peterborough, who married
the daughter of Carey. He was created Viscount Mordaunt
by Charles II., in return for his active loyalty in the Civil
War. He afterwards fell into disfavour, and spent the
Peterborough House.
greater portion of his time at Parson's Green, where he died
in the forty-eighth year of his age, and lies buried in Fulham
Church.
He was followed by his son Charles, the celebrated Earl of
Peterborough, who succeeded his uncle in the title.* He
made a name for himself by his military exploits in Spain,
* Croker, ' A Walk from London to Fulham/ 1860, pp. 166-169.
WESTERN COMMONS 601
but he was distinguished no less as an orator than as a
soldier. To this house resorted Locke, Addison, Swift, and
Pope, who, together with all the distinguished men of the
time, were afforded a hearty welcome. There is a tradition
that Voltaire visited the Earl in this mansion, and there met
Addison, who was suffering on this occasion from one of his
fits of taciturnity.
A good story is told which illustrates the eccentricity of
this Earl of Peterborough. When his lordship gave a large
dinner it was his practice to assume the apron, and to super-
intend in person the preparation and arrangement of the
various dishes. When the banquet was ready he threw
aside his culinary appendages and entered the drawing-room
with the grace of a refined courtier, but more proud of
having exercised the talent of a skilful cook, which he
acquired during his arduous campaigns in Spain.*
Another thing which marked his eccentricity was his
curious marriage life. He was twice married, his second
wife being the celebrated Anastasia Robinson, the opera-
house singer. His pride prevented him from owning this
marriage till shortly before his death. She had a separate
house close by, which was taken by the Earl for his wife and
her mother. While her husband had his literary friends at
his table, she for her part held musical parties, at which the
most eminent musicians assisted, including Bonancini,
Martini, and others. f
The gardens of this house were famous. Swift says in
one of his letters that they were the finest he had ever seen
about London. They are mentioned by Stow : ' In Parson's
Green are very good houses for gentry, where the Right
Hon. the Earl of Peterborough hath a large house with
stately gardens. 'J Bowack wrote at the commencement of
the eighteenth century : ' The contrivance of the gardens is
* Brewer, ' London and Middlesex/ vol. iv., p. 109.
t Hawkins, ' History of Music,' vol. v., p. 305.
I Strype's Stow, ' Survey of the Cities of London and Westminster,'
1720, vol. i., p. 44.
602
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
fine, though their beauty is in great measure decayed ; and
the large cypress shades, and pleasant wildernesses, with
fountains, statues, etc., have been very entertaining.' He
also speaks of a natural curiosity contained in the garden,
which was then said to be unique in Europe. This was a
tree, 76 feet high, which bore a yellow tulip. Its stem was
Richardson's House at Parson's Green in 1799.
about 5 feet 9 inches in circumference, and it had a smooth
gray bark and a very fine green leaf.* This tree died in 1756
of decay, when it was about one hundred years old. In 1794
Peterborough House was purchased by John Meyrick, who
pulled down the old house and erected the last one on the same
site. Of recent years the mansion was used as a private
* Bowack, 'Antiquities of Middlesex,' p. 45.
WESTERN COMMONS 603
lunatic asylum, but it is about to be pulled down, and the
historic grounds will be split up into building plots.
Near to Peterborough House stood an ancient mansion
which formerly belonged to Sir Edward Saunders, Lord
Chief Justice of the King's Bench in 1682. This house
acquired fame as being the residence of the celebrated
novelist, Samuel Richardson, who moved here from North
End in 1755. Some doubt has been thrown upon the state-
ment made both by Faulkner and Lysons that Richardson
wrote ' Clarissa Harlowe ' and ' Sir Charles Grandison ' while
residing at this house. He died here in 1761. Thomas
Edwards, the author of ' Canons of Criticism,' died whilst
on a visit to Richardson at Parson's Green in 1757.*
On the east side of the green was a plain white house,
built at the end of the seventeenth century by Sir Francis
Child, Lord Mayor of London in 1699, whose tomb is in
Fulham Churchyard. Among the notable residents of this
house we may mention Admiral Sir Charles Wager, Dr.
Ekins, Dean of Carlisle, who died here in 1791, and Mrs.
Fitzherbert, who is said to have had the porch erected in
front of the house. She attracted here George IV., then
Prince of Wales, who became a constant visitor.t
Adjacent to Parson's Green, in the King's Road, was Ivy
Cottage, built at the end of the last century by Walsh Porter,
and afterwards the residence of Mr. E. T. Smith, of Drury
Lane fame, who altered the name to Drury Lodge, after his
theatre. A few years back this house belonged to that
eccentric lady Mrs. Villens, better known in the world of
sport as ' Lucky Jack,' whose appearance on the race-course
in a Newmarket coat and * pot ' hat was as familiar as that
of her friend the late Duchess of Montrose (Mr. Manton).
On the site of this cottage was formerly a house, tradition-
ally stated to have been the residence of Oliver Cromwell.!
At the commencement of the north side of the green is the
* Thorne, 'Environs of London/ vol. i., p. 226.
f Faulkner, * Fulham,' pp. 302, 303.
J Croker, ' Walk from London to Fulham,' p. 169.
604 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Holt Yates Memorial Home and Laundry for the friendless
and fallen, whilst the adjoining house is a training home for
young girls of good moral character ; but the strange com-
bination would not be noticed by a passing stranger, owing
to the absence of any notice-boards or conspicuous name-
plates. Belfield House, a substantial building on the same
side of the green, formerly the residence of Mr. Sheridan, M.P.,
is now occupied by a French artist, Theodore Roussel.
Another distinguished resident of Parson's Green was Sir
Thomas Bodley, who lived here from 1605 to 1609. He is
famous for having founded the Bodleian Library of Oxford,
opened in 1602. It claims a copy of all works published in
this country, and for rare works and manuscripts it is said to
be second only to that in the Vatican. When Lord Bacon
fell into disgrace, he procured a license (dated September,
1611) to retire for six weeks to the house of his friend Sir
John Vaughan, at Parson's Green, but when the time expired
the King refused to renew the license. Lord Bacon and Sir
Thomas Bodley wrote to one another, and several letters are
extant from Sir Thomas Bodley dated from his house at
Parson's Green.*
The last name we will mention in connection with the
green is Sir Arthur Aston, an officer of note in Charles I.'s
army, who was son of Sir Arthur Aston, of Parson's Green.
He commanded the Dragoons in the Battle of Edgehill, and
was successively made governor of the garrison at Reading
and Oxford. He had the misfortune to break his leg by a
fall from his horse, and left the army. Under Charles II. he
was made Governor of Drogheda in Ireland, and was in
command there when Cromwell besieged and took the town
in 1649. The inhabitants were put to the sword, and poor
Sir Arthur was cut to pieces, and his brains beaten out with
his wooden leg.f
Eel Brook Common, of fourteen acres in extent, takes its
name from the old Eel Brook, which has now been filled up,
* Thome, 'Environs of London,' vol. i., p. 226.
f Faulkner, ' Fulham,' p. 307.
WESTERN COMMONS 605
but which was formerly to be seen at the western boundary
of the common. Its present name is certainly an improve-
ment upon its former one — Hell Brook Common, the origin
of which is unknown. It is mentioned under this name in a
list of orders presented at a court held for the Manor of
Fulham in 1603 : ' That no person or persons shall put in
any horse or other cattle into Helbrook until the last day of
April every year henceforth.'* There are no records existing
in the parish relative to this common, which seems to be a
place without a history. It formed the subject of an action
in 1878, Lammin v. Ecclesiastical Commissioners, in which
Mr. W. H. Lammin, suing on behalf of the freehold and
copyhold tenants of the Manor of Fulham, sought to
establish their rights of common and customary rights of
recreation, and to prevent the enclosure of the common. By
an agreement entered into between the parties concerned,
this action wras to be put an end to if the late Metropolitan
Board of Works could obtain a scheme for the establishment
of local management under the terms of the Metropolitan
Commons Act, 1866. This scheme was certified by the
Inclosure 'Commissioners, and confirmed by the Metropolitan
Commons Supplemental Act, 1881. The strips of land in
the King's Road fronting Peterborough House nearly join
this common to Parson's Green.
Brook Green is a long straggling common of 4! acres,
plentifully supplied with trees of comparatively modern
growth, in addition to a row of six venerable giants, which
have been much shorn of their former grandeur. A few
shrubberies have been formed at various points to embellish
the appearance of the green, but the remainder is open for
recreation for children and adults, although the area is too
small to permit of organized games or public meetings.
Formerly the green was intersected throughout its length
by the highroad, and a much -needed improvement was
effected some years ago by the Vestry of Hammersmith,
* Faulkner, ' Fulham,' p. 24.
6o6
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
who diverted this road, and thus united the two narrow
strips of which this open space formerly consisted.
Facing the green on both sides at its southern end is a
large and flourishing Roman Catholic colony. It consists
on one side of the Church of the Holy Trinity, a spacious
building of considerable architectural pretension, with a lofty
tower and spire at the north-east. The almshouses, which
are built of ragstone in the same substantial style, stand
back some way from the green, and form, together with the
church, a spacious quadrangle. The foundation stones of
Sion House, Brook Green.
the church and almshouses were both laid in 1851 : that of
the former by Cardinal Wiseman, and of the latter by the
Duchess of Norfolk. On the opposite side of the road are
the other buildings, comprising a training college for Roman
Catholic schoolmasters, a practising and other schools.
One of these schools, Brook Green House, bearing a tablet
with the date 1787, had for one of its pupils no less a
personage than Mrs. Stirling, the actress. A short distance
away is another religious establishment, the old convent of
Sion House. This is a very ancient edifice, with a pretty
chapel. It belongs to the Benedictine Order, and was at
WESTERN COMMONS 607
the commencement of the century the only educational
establishment for Roman Catholic young ladies of the upper
classes in England. This is shortly to be pulled down.
Almost the last house on the north side is a very modern
building called the Old House, after an old ruinous structure
which stood on or near the site. An illustration of this old
house is given in Faulkner's ' Hammersmith.' The back
part was of wood, and the front wholly brick, having had
originally bow windows. A short time before this place was
pulled down the owner burnt all the antique furniture and
carved ornaments which the house contained owing to the
want of fuel during the winter of 1834.*
Perhaps the other side of the green is the most interest-
ing. After leaving the Roman Catholic church, a picturesque
Elizabethan house is seen called The Grange. This was for
some time the home of our most popular living actor, Sir
Henry Irving ; but since he left Brook Green the house has
been untenanted, and, like the adjoining Sion House, it is
about to be demolished to make room for a girls' school in
connection with Dean Colet's bequest. Close by are some
more almshouses, really in Rowan Road, the end one of
which faces the green. These were rebuilt in 1840, and
have taken the place of four rural cottages with picturesque
gables, built in 1629. Two stone tablets which were taken
from the old cottages, founded by John Isles, have been
placed in the new building. They bear the following in-
scription : ' Quod pauperibus datur in Christum confertur.
Lutum pro auro, 1629.'
The largest mansion on this side is Bute House, now the
residence of Mr. W. Bird, J.P., D.L., formerly known as
Eagle House. It is built in the Queen Anne style, screened
from the highroad by an iron fence, flanked by two brick
piers, surmounted by eagles, from which the house took its
former name. The premises were once used as a school,
and comprised extensive grounds, subsequently enlarged by
* Faulkner, ' Hammersmith,' p. 392.
6o8
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
the addition of the gardens of adjoining houses, which have
been pulled down.
A French Protestant church once stood in this neighbour-
hood. It is mentioned in the Court Rolls, but the site
The Grange, Brook Green, formerly the residence of Sir Henry Irving.
cannot be ascertained. The parish registers contain several
entries at the commencement of the eighteenth century
relating to these persecuted Huguenots.*
WORMWOOD SCRUBS.
Wormwood Scrubs proper is a flat open space of some
193 acres, and for the greater portion is subject to the use
of the military. It is made up of three distinct properties,
the largest portion of which, comprising 135 acres, was
common land attached to the Manor of Fulham. The
manorial rights were purchased by the Secretary of State
for War in pursuance of the Military Forces Localization
Act, 1872, with a view to creating a Metropolitan exercising
ground for the troops. In addition to the common, certain
* Faulkner, ' Hammersmith ' pp. 395, 396.
WORMWOOD SCRUBS 609
inclosed lands adjoining it containing 53 acres, and another
piece of 5 acres, the property of the Great Western Railway
Company, were also purchased, making in all an extensive open
space of nearly 200 acres. The total cost to the War Office
was £52,615, who proposed that all the lands should be
vested in the late Metropolitan Board of Works on trust
to enable them to be used for such military purposes as
might be directed. Subject to this user, the lands were to
be held for the perpetual use by the inhabitants of the
Metropolis for exercise and recreation. A fringe of the land
on the eastern side, known as the non-military portion, is
exempt from the use of the troops, and is open to the public
at all times. This scheme was confirmed by the Wormwood
Scrubs Act, 1879, which effected the transfer without any
payment. The Act provides that the military portion can
be used for such purposes as the Secretary of State for War
from time to time directs, including camps, reviews, drills,
training, exercising, firing, or rifle-ranges. Two other im-
portant conditions are worthy of note — viz., that no per-
manent building or erection, except rifle - butts and all
necessary appurtenances, shall be constructed without the
consent of both parties, and also ' that no portion of the
Scrubs shall, without consent, be used for military purposes
or as a rifle-range on any public holiday.
A portion of the original common was severed from the
remainder by the West London Railway. This land, com-
prising 22 acres, was vested in the Ecclesiastical Commis-
sioners as Lords of the Manor of Fulham. The copyhold
tenants of the manor claimed certain rights of common of
pasture over these lands for their cattle and swine at certain
seasons, such as were formerly exercisable over the whole
tract called Wormwood Scrubs. These rights had ceased
to be exercised for several years, and the land was enclosed
and let from time to time. The Ecclesiastical Commis-
sioners generously offered to transfer the Little Scrubs, as
they are called, to the late Metropolitan Board of Works
without any consideration, on condition that they were laid
39
610 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
out and maintained as an open space, and that the rights of
the commoners over the land should be acquired and ex-
tinguished. The sum agreed upon for the purchase of these
rights was fixed at £2,000, and the scheme was confirmed
by Parliament under the provisions of the Metropolitan
Board of Works (Various Powers) Act, 1886.
The principal work carried out on the Scrubs was a
complete system of under-drainage, which was necessary
owing to the wet state of the ground. Before this was done,
at certain seasons of the year the soldiers who came to fire
at the ranges were frequently knee-deep in water. The rifle-
butts, which are arranged on the Belgian principle, are
situated on the portion railed off from the public. Certain
improvements were carried out on the Little Scrubs in
1893-94, when the stream was widened and provided with
weirs, so that it might always have water in its bed. Paths
were formed, and trees and shrubs planted in order to give
the land a more ornamental appearance.
The name of Wormwood Scrubs (A.S. Scrob—a. shrub)
is a popular corruption of Wormholt Scrubs. This word
holt (a wood) points back to the old nature of the ground,
when the site of the Scrubs was a wood, of which Old Oak
Common was an extension. In Rocques' map, 1744, the land
is shown as Warner Wood, with paths through the thicket
in various directions. Many variations of the name exist —
Woorine-old-Wood, Wormeall Wood, are found in old
documents as well as those already given.
In 1803 there was an important action with regard to a
right of way across the common land. Some land adjoining
the Scrubs was let by a Mr. Fillingham to a market-gardener,
and it was promised that a road across the Scrubs should be
made for his horses and carts. The copyholders of the
manor, having heard of this, erected post-and-rail fencing
in order to prevent any trespass. This led to an action on
the part of Mr. Fillingham, who wanted the parish to make
him proper roads and ways to his land. The action was
tried before Lord Ellenborough and a special jury, and some
WORMWOOD SCRUBS 611
of the most eminent counsel were engaged, among them
Erskine, Garrow, Gibbs, and Marryatt. After a lengthy
trial, a verdict was found for the defendants, thus establishing
the exclusive right of the tenants of the manor to the use of
the Scrubs.*
The earliest mention of the land now used as an open
space is in a document dated 1189, when Richard Fitzneal
was Bishop of London. It is as follows : ' Seventy-eight
acris in Wormholt et Herleston (Harlesden), et de ix acris
assartorum in Wormeholt, et de iv acris assart orum juxta
Wormeholt.'t
The Scrubs, as we have already mentioned, are waste lands
of the Manor of Fulham. A part of the demesne lands of this
manor form a sub-manor, that of Wormholt Barns, containing
423 acres. This was leased by Bishop Bonner, together with
other lands, in 1547, to the Duke of Somerset. The manor is
there described as the ' divers messuages, lands, tenements,
woods, closes, meadows, feedings, pastures, groves, and
other hereditaments in Fulham ; and also all that part and
portion of lands and woods, with the appurtenances, in
Fulham, called Wormeolt Wood, parcel of the possession of
the Bishoprick aforesaid.' When the Duke of Somerset was
attainted, the Crown obtained possession of the manor. In
1596 it was granted by Queen Elizabeth to Simon Willis,
who afterwards assigned one half of his interest to Thomas
Fisher, and the other half to Sir Thomas Penruddock. The
latter's son subsequently obtained possession of the whole
and the manor has remained in private hands ever since. J
There was a proposal in 1817 on the part of some of the
inhabitants to establish races on the Scrubs, to be called
' Wormholt Races.' These were to continue two days, and
were to be under the patronage of His Royal Highness the
Duke of Sussex. Bills were printed and circulated giving
* Faulkner, * Hammersmith,' pp. 383, 384.
t Records, ' Dec. et Cap., S. Pauli,7 p. 38. Printed by Miss Hackett,
London, 1826.
J Faulkner, ' Hammersmith,' p. 390.
39—2
612 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
the following particulars : ' On the first day the Sussex stakes
of ten guineas each, twenty to be added for all ages that
never won plate, match, or sweepstakes, and sweepstakes of
five guineas each, and twenty-five added for all ages. On
the second day, fifty pounds for all ages, and sweepstakes of
three guineas, with twenty-five added for all ages.' The
terms for admission to the race-course were to be for
spectators with a horse, sixpence ; for a chaise or cart, one
shilling ; for a four-wheeled carriage, two shillings and six-
pence. It was proposed to give the proceeds towards build-
ing and endowing additional almshouses, and a considerable
sum was subscribed ; but in spite of this laudable object, the
Government and the magistrates interfered, and prevented
the races being held.*
The western boundary of the Scrubs is formed by Old
Oak Common, which takes its name from the fine old oaks
with which it used to be covered. One of these was standing
till about 1830, but it was then cut down and sold. The
name of this common is interesting, because it is akin to
that of the district in which it is situated, viz., Acton, or the
village of oaks. Here, in the early days of Britain, our
Druid forefathers, we can easily imagine, had a seat of
worship, with an open-air temple surrounded by the huts of
the priests and worshippers. In the Doomsday survey the
Manor of Fulham is said to have pannage for 1,000 hogs,
which doubtless thrived on the acorns of the oak-trees on
this common and the Scrubs. t
Before the Scrubs were acquired by the War Office,
they had been leased for military purposes for many years
previously. The funds derived from the rental of £100 per
annum paid by the Government were given towards the
Waste Lands Almshouses. This charitable foundation owes
its origin to a resolution of the copyholders of the Manor of
Fulham, dated April 23, 1810. It was decided then that no
grants of the waste land should be made without adequate
* Faulkner, ' Hammersmith,' p. 388.
| Walford, ' Greater London/ p. 8.
WORMWOOD SCRUBS 613
compensation, and that the money so received should be
vested in trustees chosen from the copyholders of the manor
for the purpose of building and endowing almshouses. In
furtherance of this object, an acre of land was granted in
March, 1812, to the trustees of the Almshouse Charity Fund,
for the purpose of erecting cottages thereon for the benefit
of poor widows belonging to the parish of Fulham. This
was a portion of the waste land situated near Starch Green
Lane.
At the same court it was resolved to grant a lease of
twenty -one years to the War Office of the waste of the
manor called Wormholt Wood, for the purpose of training
troops. Half of the rental of £100 was reserved for the
Fulham, and the other half for the Hammersmith, side of
the parish. This lease was renewed at its expiration till the
freehold was purchased. From the funds received from these
leases, together with other grants for waste lands and some
private donations, nine almhouses were built in 1813.*
To turn from almshouses to another asylum of a different
kind, we have only to lift our eyes from the Scrubs to see the
grim walls of the Wormwood Scrubs Convict Prison. We
live in an age of improvements, and thanks to the efforts of
reform commenced by John Howard and Elizabeth Fry,
even convicts share in the bettered condition of all classes.
Medallion portraits of these two philanthropists form the
only relief to the grim, massive, octagonal towers which
flank the lofty entrance gates. The prison is the finest
specimen of penal architecture in England, and the whole
of it was built by convict labour. A recent articlef stated
that, ' without doubt, England's model prison is the one
located at Wormwood Scrubs. It is the most recently
erected, and is supposed to represent all that is best in
prison construction, and to contain in its interior arrange-
ments everything that experience has proven best calculated
to the convenience, the health, the discipline, and the just
* Faulkner, ' Hammersmith,' pp. 197, 198.
f Pall Mall Magazine, November, 1895.
614 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
and humane treatment of its unfortunate inmates.' From
an interesting pamphlet on the prison* some more details
of its construction may be gathered. The bricks are home-
made, having been manufactured by the convicts on the site
of the prison and the land adjoining. The total number was
about 35,000,000. The granite came from Dartmoor, the
stone from Portland, and the iron-castings from Portland
and Chatham prisons, all prepared by convict labour. The
prison contains separate cells for 1,381 male and female
prisoners, besides hospital and other accommodation. It
was opened in 1874, although the final work of erecting the
boundary -wall was not completed till 1883. This wall,
1 8 feet high, with its flanking towers at the angles, encloses
a space of about 15^ acres. The cost of the prison proper,
i.e., all within the cells, was £97,155, or at the rate of
£70 75. per cell.
* By Sir Edmund F. Du Cane, Survey or- General of H.M. Prisons,
published in 1889.
CHAPTER XXXI.
WAPPING RECREATION-GROUND—CHURCHYARDS AND
SMALL PLAYGROUNDS— PLACES IN COURSE
OF ACQUISITION.
WAPPING RECREATION GROUND.
WAPPING Recreation Ground came into existence
as the result of the clearance of an unhealthy area
under the Artizans' and Labourers' Dwellings
Improvement Act. This Act, passed in 1875,
provides that, whenever a medical officer shall make an
official representation to the local authority that any houses,
courts, or alleys, within a certain area under its jurisdiction,
are unfit for human habitation, or that diseases indicating a
generally low condition of health, and caused by the sanitary
defects of such area, are prevalent therein, and cannot be
effectually remedied otherwise than by an improvement
scheme, the local authority shall consider such representa-
tion, and, if satisfied of the truth thereof, and of the suf-
ficiency of its resources, shall pass a resolution to the effect
that the area in question is unhealthy, and shall forthwith
proceed to make a scheme for the improvement of such area.
So runs the legal phraseology of the Act, which obtains its
distinguishing name from the fact that one of its clauses
makes it imperative for the proposed scheme to provide for
the accommodation of at least as many persons of the work-
ing class as may be displaced in suitable dwellings within
the improved area or its vicinity.
One of the earliest applications under the provisions of
6:6 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
this Act related to an area in St. George's-in-the-East, com-
prising a series of unhealthy courts lying close to Wapping
Parish Church and the London Docks, bounded on the north
by Tench Street and on the south by Green Bank. After
full investigation, it was decided to clear this area, a very
costly proceeding, the total expense of which amounted to
£52,000, and the extent of ground thus acquired was 2 J acres.
No adequate offer, however, could be obtained for this
ground, on which possibly only workmen's dwellings could
have been erected, and owing to other clearances, there were
more than enough of these in the neighbourhood. The local
authority in this case, the London County Council, therefore
decided to lay out the area as a recreation-ground for this
poor district, subject to Parliamentary power being obtained.
The necessary authority was granted by the Metropolitan
Improvements Act, 1889. The greater portion of the ground
has been gravelled so as to form a playground for children ;
the remainder has been embellished with trees, shrubs, and
flower-beds, and there is also a children's gymnasium. The
total cost of these works was about £1,000, and Wapping
Recreation Ground was opened to the public on June 8, 1891.
Wapping, strange to say, is by no means so old as the
Metropolis, and previous to 1657 consisted of only one street,
extending about a mile from the Tower along the river,
almost as far as Ratcliffe. London proper ended at the
Tower, and these outlying lands were subject to periodical
flooding — in fact, the whole of this neighbourhood was
formerly one great wash, covered by the waters of the
Thames, and when it was subsequently reclaimed, it was
used like the Isle of Dogs as meadow-ground for grazing.
The banks of the Thames were then furnished with walls or
dykes, in order to defend the land from the incursions of the
water. Between the years 1560 and 1570 the embanking
wall was broken in several places, and Wapping was
once more laid under water. The Romulus of Wapping
was found in the person of one William Page, who took
a lease of no feet of the wall, and spent a considerable
WAPPING RECREATION GROUND 617
sum in rebuilding houses and protecting them from the river
till he was stopped by the proclamation of Queen Elizabeth
in 1583 to prevent the increase of new buildings. Page
petitioned, and some time after was permitted to carry on his
scheme of re-edification. But this new Wapping was not
the busy and crowded place of to-day, for in the early part
of the reign of Charles I. that monarch hunted a stag from
Wanstead, in Essex, and eventually killed him in a garden
near Nightingale Lane, in the hamlet of Wapping. This
attracted so many people to the place that great damage was
done in consequence.*
It is a remarkable change from stag-hunting in an open
country place to unhealthy, stuffy courts and alleys, and no
doubt the principal cause of this transformation is to be
found in the formation of so many important docks in this
neighbourhood and their attendant busy life. The London
Docks, which almost join on to the recreation ground, were
commenced in June, 1802, and opened in January, 1805.
The first stone of the entrance basin was laid by Mr. Pitt,
who was then Chancellor of the Exchequer. He was also
present at the opening ceremony, when the London Packet, a
vessel laden with wine from Oporto, decorated with flags,
entered the dock amidst the cheers of the onlookers.
The eastern boundary of the recreation ground — Anchor
and Hope Alley — is the place where Judge Jeffreys, the cruel
minister of James II., was captured in 1688, when trying to
make his escape disguised as a common sailor. His capture
was partly due to his tyrannous conduct as a judge, for a case
between a sailor and a usurer, who lent money to seafaring
men at a high rate of interest, was* tried before him. ' The
counsel for the borrower, having little else to say, said that
the lender was a trimmer. The Chancellor instantly fired :
" A trimmer ! Where is he ? Let me see him. I have
heard of that kind of monster. What is it made like ?" The
unfortunate creditor was forced to stand forth. The Chan-
cellor glared fiercely on him, stormed at him, and sent him
* Rev. J. Nightingale, ' London and Middlesex,' vol. iii., p. 144.
WAPPING RECREATION GROUND 619
away half dead with fright. " While I live," the poor man
said, as he tottered out of the court, " I shall never forget
that terrible countenance." And now the day of retribution
had arrived. The trimmer was walking through Wapping,
when he saw a well-known face looking out of the window of
an alehouse (the Red Cow in Anchor and Hope Alley). He
could not be deceived. The eyebrows, indeed, had been
shaved away ; the dress was that of a common sailor from
Newcastle, and was black with coal-dust ; but there was no
mistaking the savage eye and mouth of Jeffreys. The alarm
wras given. In a moment the house was surrounded by
hundreds of people, shaking bludgeons and bellowing curses.
The fugitive's life was saved by a company of the Train-
bands, and he was carried before the Lord Mayor,' a simple
kind of man, who was bewildered by the greatness his office
had thrust upon him. The prisoner frightened him into fits,
and the unfortunate Mayor was carried to his bed, from which
he never rose. Jeffreys begged to be sent to prison, and
with much difficulty he was escorted to the Tower by two
regiments of militia, where he ended his days in ignominy
and terror.*
Wapping gave rise to a custom which commenced in 1725,
and is likely to continue for ever, and that is the annual
beanfeast, which has now become an established institution
in many places of business. It seems that a Mr. Daniel
Day, a block-maker of Wapping, possessed a small estate in
Essex, near Fairlop Oak. He used to invite his friends
to accompany him to this place on the first Friday in every
July, and a feast of beans and bacon was provided for the
occasion. The rumour of this annual celebration soon
spread, and many other parties imitated his example, the
beans and bacon always being to the fore, with the result
that these annual summer outings were termed beanfeasts.
For several years before the death of the humorous founder
it was the custom for the merrymakers to ride in a boat
made out of one piece of timber, which was mounted on a
* Macaulay, ' History of England.'
620 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
coach carriage, and drawn by six horses. The whole was
adorned with ribbons, flags, and streamers, and a band
accompanied the coach, so that the modern institution differs
very little from the original from which it sprung.*
Wapping Old Stairs, the nearest point on the Thames to
the recreation-ground, has been immortalized by Dibdin in
his fine old song :
' " Your Molly has never been false," she declares,
" Since last time we parted at Wapping Old Stairs." ;
Wapping, too, was a favourite of Dr. Johnson's. In one
of his talks with his future biographer on the various modes
of life to be found in London, he particularly advised his
hearers to 'explore' Wapping, which they resolved to do.
' We accordingly,' says Boswell, * carried our scheme into
execution in October, 1792 ; but, whether from that uni-
formity which has in modern times to a great degree spread
through every part of the Metropolis, or from our want of
sufficient exertion, we were disappointed. ' +
CHURCHYARDS AND SMALL PLAYGROUNDS.
The parks, gardens, and other places which have been
enumerated so far are either nominally or really the freehold
of the London County Council. There are, however, a
number of churchyards and small playgrounds which are
maintained as a temporary arrangement by them, until some
proper decision is arrived at as to their future control by the
local authorities or otherwise. The majority of these places
have been acquired and laid out by the Metropolitan Public
Gardens Association, whose funds are derived from private
subscriptions. The maintenance of playgrounds, however,
is a work outside their scope, as the large annual cost thus
entailed would hamper them in acquiring fresh places, so it
is the practice of the association to ask the local authorities
to take over the charge of the gardens which they have been
* Rev. J. Nightingale, ' London and Middlesex,' vol. iii. p. 146.
| Boswell, * Life of Dr. Johnson.'
CHURCHYARDS AND SMALL PLAYGROUNDS 621
instrumental in obtaining for public use. This has been
done in many cases ; and there are a large number of these
small playgrounds dotted about London, which, though not
of large extent, are nevertheless of considerable advantage,
most of them being in crowded districts where the possibility
of obtaining any large areas for purposes of recreation is out
of the question. With regard to the places under considera-
tion, an objection to take over their control has been raised
by the local authorities on the ground that the cost of such
maintenance should be met out of the metropolitan rates ;
and rather than let London lose the benefit of these play-
grounds, the London County Council has decided, for the
present, at any rate, to maintain them out of its public funds.
By far the most important of these is the disused church-
yard surrounding the parish church of St. Dunstan, Stepney.
It is 7 acres in extent, well laid out, and is a valuable addition
to the open spaces of the East End. After being laid out as
a garden, it was opened by the Duchess of Leeds, July 18,
1887.
In the same year the churchyard of St. Anne, Limehouse,
was opened to the public. This is also a large garden, being
3 acres in extent. Limehouse was originally a part of the
huge neighbouring parish of Stepney, but was separated from
it in 1730. The fine old church, which stands out like a
beacon on the banks of the Thames, is one of the fifty
authorized to be erected under the reign of Queen Anne, the
money being raised from ' several duties upon coals.' The
architect was Nicholas Hawksmoor, a well-known pupil of
Sir Christopher Wren. The garden is entirely free from
tombstones, and is laid out in grass with gravelled walks,
and possesses a fountain and seats.
Dealing with the others according to the date of their
acquisition, the two earliest to be opened were Carlton
Square Garden (f of an acre) at Mile End, and St.
Bartholomew's Churchyard, Bethnal Green (i acre). In
both cases the ceremony was performed by H.R.H. the
Princess Louise in 1885. St. Bartholomew's Churchyard is
622 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
divided from the church by a public footpath and iron railings.
It is open daily for the use of the public, and forms a pleasant
garden in the summer time in what is a very crowded district.
In the same year St. Paul's Churchyard, Rotherhithe, was
opened by H.R.H. Princess Frederica, of Hanover. This
garden surrounds the church, which is near the southern
bank of the Thames, and adjacent to the timber docks. The
whole of the expense of laying out was borne by the late
Earl of Leven and Melville. Another disused churchyard at
Rotherhithe, viz., that attached to Holy Trinity Church, was
transferred to the London County Council in 1896. This is
about one-third of an acre in extent, and contains some good
trees.
In the following year, 1886, St. Paul's Churchyard, Shad-
well (i acre), and Spa Fields disused burial-ground (i^ acres)
were secured. The former partially surrounds the parish
church, and is close to the London Docks. Part of the area
is flagged, but is available for recreation, whilst the re-
mainder is laid out as a garden. Spa Fields playground is
if acres in extent, and is entirely gravelled, being used with
the consent of the freeholder, the Marquis of Northampton,
as a drill-ground for the 2ist Middlesex R.V. At other
times it is used as a playground for children, for whose
benefit gymnastic apparatus has been fitted. It lies at the
back of the Countess of Huntingdon's church in Exmouth
Street, Clerkenwell, and is approached by an alley at the
western side of the church. This little piece of land has an
eventful history. The site was formerly part of the Ducking
Pond Fields, by the side of which was Ducking Pond House.
This was pulled down in 1770, and a large circular assembly
room known as the Pantheon was erected in its place. The
grounds were then laid out as a sort of minor Vauxhall or
Ranelagh, the old ducking-pond being transformed into a
lake, upon which boats were let out on hire. The Pantheon
acquired an evil reputation, and had to be closed as a place
of entertainment in 1776. It was then taken by two Evan-
gelical clergymen, and re-opened as Northampton Chapel.
CHURCHYARDS AND SMALL PLAYGROUNDS 623
The lake, being no longer required, was drained, and used
with the rest of the grounds for burials. Upon this an action
was commenced by the incumbent of the parish to restrain
these preachers from holding services in an uriconsecrated
place. The chapel was then transferred to the Countess of
Huntingdon, who took the adjoining house and lived in it,
so that clergymen might preach in the chapel under the
privilege of peerage, and so render it legal. The old chapel,
which had sittings for 2,000, was pulled down in 1879. The
burial-ground became notorious in 1845, because the pro-
prietors burnt the bodies in order to make room for fresh
interments. It is said that as many as 1,350 bodies were
burnt here in one year. It was shortly afterwards closed
against burials by an order in council, and was re-opened as a
recreation-ground, as we have seen, in 1886. An addition of
half an acre was made two years later.
In the Jubilee Year, besides the two fine churchyards of
Stepney and Limehouse already enumerated, the disused
burial-ground (i|- acres) attached to the Church of Holy
Trinity, Mile End, and a playground at Winthrop Street,
Whitechapel, were acquired (J an acre). The former was
opened by Princess Henry of Battenberg on May 9, and
the latter two days afterwards by the Countess of Lathom.
The purchase money for the latter — £2,300 — was given by
an anonymous donor. It is situated just at the rear of the
Working Boys' Home, in the Whitechapel Road. In 1892
the large churchyard attached to Christ Church, Spitalfields,
was dedicated for public use. It is a most useful ground,
situated in a particularly bad neighbourhood. It was opened
by the Earl of Meath on July 19.
The remaining playground transferred from the Association
is the dismal graveyard in Russell Court, Drury Lane, im-
mortalized by Dickens as ' Tom All Alone's ' in the ' Poor
Joe ' episode of ' Bleak House.' By an arrangement entered
into between the Rector and the Duke of Bedford, this is to
be absorbed in the remodelling of the neighbourhood, and is
now closed to the public.
624 OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
The two other places to be mentioned under this heading
are Beaumont Square Garden and Shandy Street Recreation
Ground, both the property of Captain Beaumont, to whom a
nominal rental of five shillings per annum is paid for each
place. Beaumont Square Garden is about I acre in extent,
and its use was formerly restricted to the inhabitants of the
square, but by an agreement with the owner it is now secured
for the use of the public until 1928. Shandy Street Recreation
Ground (ij acres) was once known as the East London
Cemetery, and some of the tombs at present remain ; but
a considerable portion has been gravelled, and is available
for the recreation of children. In accordance with the terms
of the agreement, this place is closed to the public on
September 29 each year.
PLACES IN COURSE OF ACQUISITION.
Having now reached the end of the places already opened
to the public, it is only necessary to add a word or two about
those which are in course of acquisition. Fortunately for
London, there is never a time when the list of its parks and
open spaces is complete. At the moment of writing there are
many places for the acquisition of which negotiations in a
more or less advanced state are going on. The two largest
of these comprise an estate of i6J acres at Wells Road,
Upper Sydenham, and a river-side park of 16 acres, situate
in Putney Bridge Road. There is also a recreation-ground
of 7 acres at Bromley Road, Lee, which has been presented
by Lords Northbrook and Baring, and a small piece of land
in Ivy Street, Hoxton, about to be laid out as a children's
gymnasium. Another small ground at Grace Street, Bromley,
possesses an old mansion, much in need of repair, the fate of
which has not been settled at present.
APPENDIX.
LIST OF ALL THE PLACES IN THE COUNTY OF LONDON
AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC RECREATION, TOGETHER WITH THOSE
OUTSIDE THE COUNTY MAINTAINED BY THE
LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL.
NAME OF PLACE.
ACREAGE.
BY WHOM MAINTAINED.
Albert Embankment Gardens
All Saints' Church Ground,
Mile End
All Saints' Church Ground, I
Poplar
Avondale Park
i
Baker's Row Recreation-1
ground
Barnsbury Square Garden
Bartholomew Square
Battersea Park
Beaumont Square, Stepney
Benjamin Street, Clerkenwell,
Burial-ground (disused)
Bethnal Green Gardens
Bishop's Park
Blackfriars Bridge Garden
Blackheath
Bostall Heath
Bostall Woods
Boundary
Garden
Street Central
i|- acres
450 sq. yds.
4 acres
i acre
i
¥ "
198 acres
i acre
London County Council.
The Vicar of All Saints.
The Rector of All Saints.*
Vestry of Kensington.
iWhitechapel District
Board.
Vestry of Islington.
Vestry of St. Luke.
London County Council.
Vestry of Clerkenwell and
Holborn District Board
of Works.
9 acres | London County Council.
14 ,, | Vestry of Fulham.
-~Q acre iCity Corporation.
267 acres j London County Council.
i 62J
acre
Only a portion of this Church ground is open to the public.
40
626
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
NAME OF PLACE.
Brockwell Park
Brook Green
Brunswick Pier, Blackwall
Bunhill Fields Burial-ground
(disused)
Camberwell Green
Camberwell Library Ground
Canonbury Square Garden
Carlton Square, Mile End
Chelsea Embankment Gardens
Chelsea Hospital Grounds
Christ Church Burial-ground,
Southwark
Christ Church Burial-ground,
Spitalfields
Christ Churchyard, Battersea
Clapham Common
Clapton Common
Clissold Park
Covered Mill Pond, Rother-
hithe
Dalston Lane Slips
Dalston Slips, near Police
Station
De Beauvoir Square
Deptford Park
Downs Crescent, Hackney
Drury Lane Garden
Duke Street Garden
Dulwich Park
Duncan Terrace Gardens,
Islington
Eastbank, Hackney
Ebury Street Triangle
Ebury Square Gardens
Edward Square, Islington
Eel Brook Common
Eltham Common
Eltham Green
ACREAGE.
84 acres
4l »
i acre
4 acres
^ acre
! „
acres
acre
2 acres
220
acre
acres
acre
900 sq. yds.
880 „
i|- acres
380 sq. yds.
1 acre
72
acres
acre
BY WHOM MAINTAINED.
London County Council.
Dock Company.
City Corporation.
Vestry of Camberwell.
Vestry of Islington.
London County Council.
H.M. Office of Works.
Trustees.
London County Council.
Vestry of Battersea.
London County Council.
Vestry of Rotherhithe.
Hackney District Board.
London County Council.
Hackney District Board,
Vestry of St. Martin.
Duke of Westminster.
London County Council.
Vestry of Islington.
\ ,, Hackney District Board.
729 sq. yds. j Vestry of St. George,
Hanover Square.
Metropolitan Public Gar-
dens Association.
Vestry of Islington.
London County Council.
War Office.
7i „ H.M. Office of Works.
f acre
14 acres
APPENDIX
627
NAME OF PLACE.
ACREAGE.
BY WHOM MAINTAINED.
Finsbury Park
115 acres
London County Council.
Fortune Green
2j „
Vestry of Hampstead.
Fulham Parish Churchyard
2
Vicar of Fulham.
Garratt Green
9t »
Lord of the Manor.
Goldsmith Square
f acre
Vestry of Shoreditch.*
Goose Green
6^ acres
London County Council.
Green Park
54 ,»
H.M. Office of Works.
Greenwich Park
185 „
•>•> •>•> )>
Grosvenor Gardens (Lower)
^ acre
Metropolitan Public Gar-
dens Association.!
Hackney Downs
4 if acres
London County Council.
Hackney Downs (Enclosure)
J acre
Hackney District Board.
Hackney Independent Chapel
2
"3 "
» J5 ) J
Ground
Hackney Marsh
337 acres
London County Council.
Hackney (West) Churchyard
Li n
Hackney District Board.
Hackney Town Hall Garden
\ acre
> > 11 11
Hackney Triangle Shrubbery,
190 sq. yds.
5 J J 5 »
Mare Street
Hammersmith Recreation-
i^ acres
Vestry of Hammersmith.
ground, Church Lane
Hampstead Heath
240
London County Council.
Haverstock Hill Playground
£ acre
Vestry of Hampstead.
Highbury Fields
27! acres
London County Council.
Highgate Road Open Spaces
3 »
Owner.
Hilly Fields, Brockley
45i »
London County Council.
Holy Trinity Churchyard,
i acre
The Vicar.
Brompton
Holy Trinity Churchyard,
:3
8" >>
London County Council.
Rotherhithe
Holy Trinity Garden, Bow
i^ acres
J> 55 » J
Horseferry Road Burial-
i acre
Vestry of St. Margaret
ground (disused)
and St. John, West-
minster.
Hyde Park
361 acres
H.M. Office of Works.
Ion Square
|acre
Vestry of Bethnal Green.
Island Gardens, Poplar
3 acres
London County Council.
* Freehold of the London County Council.
f Open to the public for six weeks in the autumn.
40 — 2
628
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
NAME OF PLACE.
Islington Chapel - of - Ease
Grounds
Islington Green
Kennington Park
Kensington Gardens
Kenton Road Shrubbery,
Hackney
Kidbrooke Green
Ladywell Recreation-ground
Lambeth Shrubbery (opposite
St. Thomas's Hospital)
Lauriston Road Slips, Hack-
ney
Lauriston Road Triangle,
Hackney
Lea Bridge Road Waste
Lee Old Burial-ground
Leicester Square
Limehouse Churchyard
Lincoln's Inn Fields
Lismore Circus, St. Pancras
Lock Burial-ground (disused)
London Fields
Long Lane Recreation-ground
Maryon Park
Meath Gardens
Mile End (Brewers' Alms-
house) Garden
Mile End New Town Parish
Churchyard
Mill Field (North)
Mill Field (South)
Myatt's Fields
Natural History Museum
Garden
ACREAGE.
4i
acres
acre
acres
250 sq. yds.
4! acres
j?
acre
165 sq. yds,
^ acre
I »
I „
3 acres
7 »
\ acre
i r. 12 p.
26^ acres
\ acre
i i-J- acres
9J- »
\ acre
450 sq. yds
23! acres
34i „
Hi »»
BY WHOM MAINTAINED.
Vestry of Islington.
London County Council.
H.M. Office of Works.
Hackney District Board.
Lord of the Manor.
London County Council.
Vestry of Lambeth.
Hackney District Board.
Rector of St. Margaret's,
Lee.
London County Council.
Vestry of St. Pancras.
Rector and Church-
wardens of St. George
the Martyr.
London County Council.
Vestry of Bermondsey.
London County Council.
•>•> •>•> •>•>
Brewers' Company and
London Hospital.
The Vicar."
London County Council.
Trustees of the British
Museum.
Open from June i to September i only.
APPENDIX
629
NAME OF PLACE.
ACREAGE.
Nelson Recreation - ground,
Bermondsey
Newington Recreation-ground
Norfolk Road, Hackney (West
side)
Northampton Square Garden
Nunhead Green
Paddington Green
Paddington Recreation-ground
Palace Road Recreation-
ground
Parliament Hill
Parliament Square Garden
Parson's Green
Peckham Rye
Peckham Rye Park
Penge Recreation-ground
Penn Road Triangle, Islington
Pimlico Shrubberies
Plumstead Common
Pond Square, Highgate
Poplar Recreation-ground
Putney Bridge Shrubbery
Putney Old Burial-ground,
Upper Richmond Road
Putney Lower Common
f acre
ii acres
560 sq. yds,
i acre
i acres
26
9
267i
2
64*
t acre
f »
100 acres
f acre
3^ acres
^ acre
i
41 acres
Putney Upper Common, or 342
Putney Heath
Ravensbourne Recreation-
ground
Ravenscourt Park
Red Cross Street Garden, i acre
Southwark
Red Lion Square \ ,,
Regent's Park and Primrose 472^ acres
Hill
Royal Courts of Justice En- i acre
closure
Royal Victoria Gardens 10 acres
BY WHOM MAINTAINED.
Condon County Council.
Hackney District Board.
Vestry of Clerkenwell.
London County Council.
Vestry of Paddington.
•>•> ?»
Vestry of Fulham.
London County Council.
H.M. Office of Works.
London County Council.
Lewisham District
Board.
Vestry of Islington.
London County Council.
)» 59 "
Vestry of St. Pancras.
Poplar District Board.
London County Council.
Putney Burial Board.
Wimbledon Common
Conservators.
Wimbledon Common
Conservators.
Greenwich District
Board.
London County Council.
Trustees.
London County Council.
H.M. Office of Wrorks.
London County Council.
630
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
NAME OF PLACE.
ACREAGE.
St. Alphege Burial-ground,
3f acres <
Greenwich (disused)
St. Andrew's Gardens, St.
it ,, 1
Pancras
St. Anne's Burial-ground, Soho
f acre i
(disused)
St. Bartholomew's, Bethnal
i „ ]
Green
St. Botolph's Burial-ground,
I M ^
City (disused)
St. Clement's Churchyard,
i .„
Notting Hill
St. Dunstan - in - the - West,
*'., '
Fetter Lane
St. George's Churchyard,
I ,,
Camberwell
St. George's Gardens, St.
2f acres
Pancras
St. George's .Vestry Hall
2
Gardens, Hanover Square
St. George's Burial-ground,
6 „
Hanover Square (disused)
St. George's - in - the - East
j acre
Burial-ground
St. George's - in - the - East
2 acres
Parish Churchyard
St. George's Parish Church-
f acre
yard, Borough High Street
St. Giles's-in-the-Field Parish
i| acres
Churchyard
St. James's Churchyard, Ber-
i£ »
mondsey
St. James's Churchyard,
Clerkenwell
i acre
St. James's Gardens, St.
3 acres
Pancras
St. James's Park
93
St. James's Burial-ground,
i acre
Pentonville (disused)
St. James's Churchyard, Rat-
3.
4 »
cliff
St. John - at - Hackney Olc
3 acres
Parish Churchyard
BY WHOM MAINTAINED.
Greenwich District
Board.
Vestry of St. Pancras.
Works.
London County Council.
Parishes.
The Vicar.
School Board for London.
Vestry of Camberwell.
Vestry of St. Pancras.
Vestry of St. George,
Hanover Square.
Rector of St. George's,
at expense of Duke of
Westminster.
Vestry of St. George's-in-
the-East.
Vestry of St. George's-in-
the-East.
Rector and Church-
wardens of St. George
the Martyr.
St. Giles's District Board.
Vestry of Bermondsey.
Vestry of Clerkenwell.
Vestry of St. Pancras.
H.M. Office of Works.
Vestry of Clerkenwell.
Vicar.
Hackney District Board.
APPENDIX
631
NAME OF PLACE.
St. John's Churchyard, Hoxton
St. John's, St. Olave's Church-
yard, Fair Street
St. John's Churchyard, Water-
loo Road
St. John's Wood Old Burial-
ground
St. Leonard's Parish Church-
yard, Shoreditch
St. Luke's Burial-ground, Old
Street
St. Luke's Burial - ground,
Seward Street
St. Luke's Parish Churchyard,
Chelsea
St. Luke's Parish Playground,
Whitechapel
St. Margaret's Churchyard,
Lee
St. Margaret's Churchyard,
Westminster
St. Martin-in-the-Fields
St. Martin's Gardens, St.
Pancras
St. Mary's Churchyard, Bow
St. Mary's Churchyard, Hag-
gerston
St. Mary's Churchyard, Isling-
ton
St. Mary's Churchyard, Lewis-
ham
St. Mary Magdalene's Church-
yard, Bermondsey
St. Mary's Churchyard, New-
ington
St. Mary's Churchyard, Pad-
dington
St. Mary's Old Burial-ground,
Paddington
St. Mary's Churchyard, Shore-
ditch
ACREAGE.
1 acre
2 acres
7 »
i acre
if acres
i acre
4 acres
I acre
i M
2j acres
£ acre
if acres
\ acre
i
1 J acres
2 „
if »
2
i acre
3J acres
2
BY WHOM MAINTAINED.
Vestry of Shoreditch.
St. Olave's District
Board.
Vestry of Lambeth.
Vestry of St. Marylebone.
Vestry of Shoreditch.
Vestry of St. Luke.*
Vestry of Chelsea.
The Vicar.-
The Rector.
Vestry of St. Margaret
and St. John.i
Vestry of St. Martin.
Vestry of St. Pancras.
Metropolitan Public Gar-
dens Association.
Vestry of Shoreditch.
Vestry of Islington.
Lewisham District
Board.
Vestry of Bermondsey.
Newington Burial Board.
Vestry of Paddington.
The Vicar.
* A portion only is open to the public.
t This includes the churchyard of Westminster Abbey.
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
NAME OF PLACE.
ACREAGE.
BY WHOM MAINTAINED.
St. Mary's Churchyard, White-
f acre
The Rector.*
chapel
St. Mary's Churchyard, Wool-
4 acres
Woolwich Local Board.
wich
St. Mary's Burial - ground,
^ acre
The Vicar.
Fulham (disused)
St. Marylebone Church
1 „
Vestry of St. Marylebone.
Ground
St. Marylebone Burial-ground
2 acres
?> » ? ? »
(disused)
St. Nicholas' Burial-ground,
2
Greenwich District
Greenwich (disused)
Board.
St. Pancras Gardens
7
Vestry of St. Pancras.
St. Paul's Burial - ground,
3
Burial Board of St. Paul,
Deptford
Deptford.
St. Paul's Churchyard, Ham-
i acre
Churchwardens.
mersmith
St. Paul's Churchyard, Rother-
f .,
London County Council.
hithe
St. Paul's Churchyard, Shad-
i
" »» »
well
St. Peter's Ground, Fulham
I ,.
The Vicar.
St. Peter's Churchyard, Hack-
I »
The Vicar, f
ney Road
St. Peter's Churchyard, New-
i
Newington Burial Board.
ington
St. Philip's Churchyard, Cam-
i „
Vicar and Church-
berwell
wardens..!:
St. Philip's Churchyard, Mile
3.
4 >5
The Vicar.
End
St. Thomas's Square Burial-
.3
4 "
Hackney District Board.
ground, Hackney
Savoy Chapel Royal Church-
* „
The Queen.
yard
Sayes Court (portion)
2 acres
WT. J. Evelyn, Esq.
Shacklewell Green
£ acre
Hackney District Board.
Shacklewell Lane Triangle
340 sq. yds.
" 5 J 79
Shaftesbury Avenue Triangle
St. Giles's District Board
of Works.
* Open during summer months. Admission is gained by ticket or on
payment of one farthing.
t Open during summer only.
| Open three days a week during certain hours.
APPENDIX
633
Shandy Street
ground
Shepherd's Bush Common
Shoreditch Old Burial-ground
Shoulder of Mutton Green
Silver Street Playground,
London Docks
Southwark Park
Spa Fields, Clerkenwell
Spa Green, Clerkenwell
Stamford Hill Strips
Stepney Churchyard
Stepney Green
Stoke Newington Common
Stoke Newington Green
Stonebridge Common, Dalston
Streatham Common
Streatham Green
Sydenham Recreation-ground
Telegraph Hill
Thornhill Gardens, Barns-
bury
Tooley Street Garden
Tooting Bee Common
Tooting Graveney Common
Tower Gardens, Tower Hill
Tower Wharf
Trafalgar Square, Mile End
Trinity Churchyard, Poplar
ACE.
ACRKAGE.
BY WHOM MAINTAINED.
Recreation-
i^ acres
London County Council.
acres
f acre
5 acres
f acre
63
2
acres
| acre
7
5|
668
i
acres
acre
acres
acre
acres
9*
acre
147^ acres
^
2 ,,
i acre
acres
„
acre
Vauxhall Old Burial-ground
Vauxhall Park
Vicarage Road Recreation- 1
ground
Victoria Embankment Gar-| 12 acres
dens
Victoria Park
Victoria Tower Garden
'244 acres
Vestry of Shoreditch.
London County Council.
Trustees.
London County Council.
Hackney District Board.
London County Council.
Vestry of Mile End, Old
Town.
London County Council.
Vestry of Islington.
Hackney District 'Board.
London County Council.
T) 5> 55
Lewisham District
Board.
London County Council.
Vestry of Islington.
St. Olave's District
Board.
London County Council.
55 » 55
Metropolitan Public Gar-
dens Association.
Constable of the Tower.
Vestry of Mile End, Old
Town.
Perpetual trustees.
Vestry of Lambeth.
5? 5 >
Vestry of Battersea.
London County Council.
London County Council.
H.M. Office of Works.
634
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
NAME OF PLACE.
ACREAGE.
BY WHOM MAINTAINED.
Walworth Recreation Ground
f acre
London County Council.
Wandsworth Common
i 83 acres
>? ? 9 5 ?
Wapping Recreation-ground
2* „
5 » 5? »}
Waterlow Park
29
?? 51 1 ?
Well Street Common
2lt „
>» J > ?5
Well Street, Hackney, Strips
| acre
Hackney District Board.
Wendell Park, Shepherd's
4 acres
Vestry of Hammersmith.
Bush
Westbank Slips, Hackney
J- acre
Hackney District Board.
West End Green, Hampstead
I „
Vestry of Hampstead.
Whitfield Gardens
* »
London County Council.
Wilmington Square Garden,
i^ acres
Vestry of Clerkenwell.
Clerkenwell
Winthrop Street Playground
J acre
London County Council.
Woolwich Common
159 acres
War Office.
Wormwood Scrubs
J93 »»
London County Council.
Wormwood Scrubs (Little)
22
»> >» >»
INDEX
ABBEY WOOD, 56
Abney, Sir Thomas, 592
Adam, Messrs., architects, 278
Adam and Eve Tavern, 543, 545
Addison, Joseph, 419, 601
Adelphi, The, 278
Adelphi Terrace, 279
Aggas's map of London, 466, 492
Ailesbury or Savile House, Leicester
Square, 472
Akenside, Mark, 408, 419
Albert Bridge, Battersea, 19
Albert Embankment, 290
Albert Embankment Gardens, 290 ;
Lambeth Marsh, 291 ; Lambeth
Palace, ib.
Albert Palace, Battersea, 18, 19
Alfred, King, 366
Alhambra Theatre, 486
Alleyn, Edward, 83, 85
Ancaster House, 502
Anne of Cleves, Queen of Henry VIII.,
35- 36
Arch Row, 502
Arundel, Earl of, 589
Arundel House, Highgate, 587-592
Arundel House, Strand, 268
Arundelian marbles, 268
Aske's (Haberdashers' Company's)
Schools, 139
Aston, Sir Arthur, 604
Audley's, Lord, rebellion, 33
Babington conspiracy, 498
Bacon, Lord, 589, 590, 604
Badger, the forger, executed on Ken-
nington Common, 147
Balloon public-house, Battersea, 10,
ii
Barclay and Perkins' brewery, 215
Battersea Bridge : new, 21 ; old, 19, 21 ;
the old ferry, 19
Battersea, etymology, 5, 6
Battersea Fields, i ; picturesqueness,
6 ; attempted assassination of
Charles II., 6; duel between Duke
of Wellington and Marquis of Win-
chelsea, 7 ; Red House, 8 ; con-
verted into Battersea Park, 11
Battersea Manor, History of, 3-5
Battersea Park, i ; formation, n ;
Battersea Park Act, 1846, ib. ; do.,
1853, 12 ; cost, 13 ; laying-out, 13 ;
subtropical garden, ib. ; rock work,
ib. ; ornamental waters, 14 ; cycling,
15 ; proposed site for Exhibition of
1851, 17; Burlington House colon-
nade, 21
Beanfeasts, Origin of, 619
Beauclerk, Topham, 279
Beaufoy, Colonel, 367
Beaumont Square, 624
Beck, Joseph, 325
' Beggar's Daughter of Bednall Green,'
259
Bethnal Green Gardens, 250-261 ;
Poor's Land trust deeds, 250;
original contributors, 251 ; sale of
portion for Museum site, 252 ; new
scheme of Charity Commissioners,
ib. ; purchase-money, 253 ; laying-
out, ib. ; origin of name, 254 ;
ancient chapel, ib. ; Bethnal Green
Museum, 255 ; Bethnal House and
its owners, 256 ; Pepys a frequent
visitor, ib. ; Bethnal Green at the
time of the Great Fire, 258 ; legend
of the blind beggar, 259 ; celebrated
inhabitants, 260
Bew's Corner, Dulwich, 90
Bishop's Hall, 565, 566, 567
Blackfriars, 497
Blackheath, 24 ; etymology, ib. ; ac-
quisition, ib. ; tumuli, 25 ; cavern,
636
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
25 ; manorial history, 26 ; Danish
encampment, 30; Richard II., ib. ;
Wat Tyler, ib. ; Emperor of Con-
stantinople, 31 ; Henry V.'s recep-
tion, ib. ; Emperor Sigismund, 32 ;
Margaret of Anjou, ib. ; Henry VI.' s
reception, ib. ; Jack Cade and Black-
heath petition, ib. ; Falconbridge,
33 ; Lord Audley's rebellion, 34 ;
the smith's forge, ib. ; Whitefield's
Mount, ib. ; artillery butts, ib. ;
Admiral Bone vet, ib. ; Cardinal
Campegius, 35; Henry VIII. and
Anne of Cleves, ib. ; restoration
of Charles II., 36; reviews and
encampments, 37 ; Blackheath
Cavalry, 38 ; Ranger's or Chester-
field House, ib.; Montague House,
40 ; Wolfe and Macartney House,
ib. ; Vanbrugh Castle, to. ; Van-
brugh House, 41 ; Morden College,
42 ; Wricklemarsh, 45 ; Green Man
Hotel, 46 ; Golf, ib.; polling-place,
47 ; coaching-days and highway-
men, ib. ; Blackheath Fair, 48
Black Horse Fields, 130
Blackmore, Sir Richard, 222, 389
Black Sea, Wandsworth Common,
245
Blood, Colonel, attempt to assassinate
Charles II., 6
Bloomfield, the Woolwich poet, 52
Boadicea, Queen, 424, 425, 426,
427
Bodley, Sir Thomas, 604
Body-snatching, 200
Bolingbroke Grove, 249
Bone vet, Admiral, at Blackheath, 34
Bonfire, Annual, at Hampstead Heath,
410
Bonner, Bishop, 565
Bonner's Fields, 567, 568, 570
Bonner's Hall, 565, 566, 567
Bostal Heath and Woods, 50 ; etymo-
logy, 52 ; acquisition, ib. ; traditional
connection with Dick Turpin, 53 ;
Manor of Bostal, 54 ; Lesness Abbey,
55 ; Suffolk Place Farm, 58 ; Lodge
Lane, 59
Boswell, 279, 620
Bradshaw, General, 512
Bramblebury House, Plumstead, 67
Bravo mystery, Tooting, 222
Bridge House Estates, 119
Bristowe, T. L., M.P. for Norwood,
tragic death of, 76
British and Foreign Bible Society
108
' Brockley Jack,' 122
Brockwell Park, 71 ; old garden, 72 ;
acquisition, 74 ; opening ceremony,
76 ; opening of new entrance, 77 ;
river Effra, 78 ; explanation of
name, 79
Brook Green, 598 ; description, 605 ;
Roman Catholic colony, 606 ; Sion
House, ib. ; ' Old House,' 607 ; The
Grange, 607 ; Bute House, ib.
Brunei, Isambard K., 285
Brunswick House, Blackheath, 38
Buckingham, Duke of, 280, 587
Buckingham House, 280
Bull and Bush, Hampstead, 408
Bull-baiting at Clapham, 106 ; on
Hackney Marsh, 375
Burdett-Coutts, Lady, 422, 562, 563
Burke and Lord Erskine, 397
Burlington House colonnade, 23, 24
Burns, John, M.P., 102
Burns, Robert, 270
Burntwood Grange, 249
Burrage Town, Plumstead, 69
Bute House, Brook Green, 607
By field, Adoniram, 599
Byron, Lord, at Dulwich, 92 ; visits
Leigh Hunt in prison, 205
Cade, Jack, 32, 55, 163, 422
Caenwood House, or Towers, 393, 394,
418, 419
Canute, 141
Carlton Square Garden, 621
Carlyle, Thomas, 296
Cassland Estate, 357
' Cat and Mutton,' London Fields,
^353
Catholic Emancipation Bill, 7, 473
Cavendish, the philosopher, 108
Charles II., attempted assassination
of, 6 ; reception at Blackheath at
the Restoration, 36 ; at Lauder-
dale House, Highgate, 582, 583
Chartist meeting on Kennington Com-
mon, 150 ; in Bonner's Fields, 567-
57°
Chatham, Lord, at Hampstead, 405
Chelsea Church and monuments, 307
Chelsea Embankment, 294
Chelsea Embankment Gardens, 294 ;
stag-hunt in Chelsea, 296 ; Thomas
Carlyle, ib. ; Magpie and Stump,
298 ; Shrewsbury House, 299 ;
Winchester House, 300 ; Manor-
House, ib. ; Cheyne Walk, 304 ;
Rossetti, ib.; Don Saltero's, ib. ;
Neild, the miser, 306 ; Dominicetti,
307 ; Old Chelsea Church, ib. ;
Chelsea china, 308
INDEX
637
Chelsea Manor-House, 300
Chesterfield House, Blackheath, 38
Chesterfield Walk, Blackheath, 38
Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, 304
China Hall, 196
Christ Church, Spitalfields, disused
burial-ground, 623
Churchyards, Disused, 620-624
Clapham Common, 95 ; early improve-
ments, ib.; etymology, 96 ; manorial
history, 97; acquisition, 98 ; lawsuit
as to ownership, ib. ; enclosures and
encroachments, 99 ; historical trees,
101 ; public meetings, 102 ; ponds,
ib.; ancient well, 104; Holy Trinity
Church, ib. ; Cock Inn, 106 ; drink-
ing-fountain, ib.; bull-baiting, ib.;
Clapham Sect, 107 ; British and
Foreign Bible Society, 108 ; Caven-
dish House, ib.; Gauden Estate and
Pepys, in; The Cedars, 114; Elms
House, ib.; church buildings, ib.;
Lord Macaulay, ib. ; Beech wood,
IJ5
Clapham Sect, 107
Clapton Common, 339
Cleopatra's Needle, 271
Clerkenwell Fields, 532
Clissold Park, 320 ; acquisition, ib. ;
the New River, 321 ; bird and
animal life, 322 ; the mansion, ib. ;
Mr. Crawshay and Rev. Augustus
Clissold, 323 ; Beck and Runtz
memorial fountain, 325 ; Stoke
Newington, 326 ; manorial history,
327 ; Queen Elizabeth's Walk, 330 ;
her traditional connection with
Stoke Newington, ib. ; Green Lanes,
332 ; the old and new churches,
ib.
Clissold, Rev. Augustus, 323
Coaching-days and Blackheath, 47
Coldbath Fields Prison, 530, 535
Coleridge, 419, 431, 596
College of Surgeons, Royal, 505
Colonnade, Burlington House, 23
Constantinople, Emperor of, 31
Cook, Captain, 101
Cornwallis family, 588, 589
Crab, Roger, 261
Crabbe, the poet, 316, 403
Craig telescope, Wandsworth Com-
mon, 245
Crawshay, Mr., 323
Cromwell House, Highgate, 585, 586,
587
Cromwell, Oliver, 508, 512, 528, 529,
586, 587, 603, 604
Croydon Canal, 121
Cubitt, Thomas, n
Cycling, Battersea Park, 15-17
Dagenham breach, 464
Danes encamp at Blackheath, 30 ;
sail through Kennington, 141 : at
Deptford Creek, 163 ; sail up the
Lea, 365
Dartmouth, Earl of, 160
Dartmouth House, Blackheath, 25
Defoe, Daniel, 223, 326, 356
Dene holes, 53
Deptford Common, 121
Deptford Creek, 163
Deptford Park, 122 ; acquisition, ib. ;
growth of Deptford, 123 ; dockyard,
ib.; etymology, 124; manorial
history, ib. ; inundation, 128 ; Grand
Surrey Canal, 130
Dermody, the poet, 165
Dibdin, Thomas, 485
Dickens, Charles, 89, 204, 282, 390,
510
' Dog and Duck ' tavern, 196
Dominicetti, 307
Don Saltero's, Chelsea, 304
Dover Road, 25
Drake, Sir Francis, 163
Druid worship, 427-429
Ducking Pond Fields, 532, 534, 622
Duel in Battersea Fields, 7
Duke of Wellington's duel, 7
Duke's Theatre, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
506, 507
Dulwich College, 85
Dulwich Park, 80 ; acquisition, 81 ;
Edward Alley n, 83 ; manorial
history, ib. ; etymology, 84 ; Dul-
wich Wood, ib. ; Dulwich Common,
85 ; Dulwich College, ib. ; Dulwich
Meadows, 88 ; Greyhound, 89 ;
Dulwich Court, ib. ; Bew's Corner,
90 ; Dulwich Wells, 91 ; Dr.
Glennie's academy and Byron, 92 ;
Lord Chancellor Thurlow, 93
Durham House, Strand, 277
East Park Estate, Hampstead, 414
Ecclesiastical Commissioners, 229,
320, 325, 605, 609
Eel Brook Common, 604
Effra, River, 78
Electric Railway, 155
Eliot, George, 304
Elizabeth, Queen, reviews militia at
Blackheath, 37 ; sails up river
Effra, 78 ; visits Drake at Deptford
Creek, 163; lunches under Honor
Oak, 185 ; her connection with
638
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Tooting, 220 ; dines at Salisbury
House, 276 ; her traditional con-
nection with Stoke Newington, 330 ;
visits Highgate, 588
Embankment Gardens. See Victoria
Embankment Gardens, Albert Em-
bankment Gardens, Chelsea Em-
bankment Gardens
Erskine House, Hampstead, 396
Erskine, Lord, 396, 397, 398
Essex House, 266
Esterhazy, Prince, 403
Evelyn, John, 128, 594
Evelyn's diary, 34, 37, 48, 112, 164,
269, 437, 469, 539
Evergreen Hill, 396
Executions on Kennington Common,
144
Exeter House, 267
Exhibition of 1851 proposed to be
held in Battersea Park, 17, 1 8
Fairs at Blackheath, 48
Fairseat House, 585
Falconbridge, 33
Fawcett, Henry, Postmaster-General,
271
Ferry at Battersea, 19 ; Greenwich,
452 ; Woolwich, 460
Picket's Field, 491, 493
' Fifth Monarchy ' men, 421
Finsbury Park, 309 ; Parliamentary
proceedings, ib. ; description, 311 ;
manorial history, 312 ; Hornsey
Wood, 313; state receptions, ib.;
Old Hornsey Wood House, 315 ;
Crabbe, 316 ; New Hornsey Wood
House, 317 ; Seven Sisters Road,
318; closing rights of way, ib. ;
covered reservoir, 319
Fitzroy House, 433
Fleet River, 401, 435
Flounder Breakfast, 8
Forest of Middlesex, 578
Forster, John, 510
Forster, W. E., M.P., 266
' Fox under the Hill,' 275
French Hospice, Victoria Park, 357
Friern Manor Farmhouse, 184
' Gables, The, ' Wandsworth Common,
248
Garratt, ' Mayor' of, and Wandsworth
Common, 240
Garrick, David, 279, 433
Gauden, Dr., in
Gerbier, Sir Balthazar, 260, 282
Gibson, John, 13
Gipsies on Wandsworth Common,
237
Glennie's, Dr., Academy, Dulwich,
92
Golden Head, Leicester Square, 481
Golder's Hill Estate, 406
Goldhawke Road, 524
Golf at Blackheath, 46
Gooseberry Fair, 544
Goose Green, 189
Gordon riots, 393, 473, 504
Gospel Oak, 431, 435
Grand Surrey Canal, 130
Grange, The, Brook Green, 607
Grant, Baron, the donor of Leicester
Square, 476
Green Lanes, 332
Green Man Hotel, Blackheath, 46
Green Man, Dulwich, 90
Greenwich Park, 42
Gresham, Sir Richard, 260
Greyhound, Dulwich, 89
Grimaldi, Joe, 539
Grocers' Company's School, 345
Grose, the antiquary, 248
Gunpowder Plot, 421
Guy's Hospital, 199
Gwynne, Nell, 187, 510, 582, 583
Haberdashers' Company, 130, 134,
138, 139, 140
Hackney, Battle of, 348
Hackney Brook, 345, 367
Hackney Common. See Well Street
Common
Hackney Commons, 334 ; Lammas
rights, 335 ; manorial history, 336 ;
acquisition, 338. See also under
Clapton Common, Stoke Newington
Common, Hackney Downs, Mill
Fields, London Fields, Well Street
Common
Hackney Downs, 342 ; harvesting
the crops, ib. ; Hackney Brook,
345 ; memorial fountains, ib. ; en-
closure of portion, ib. ; discovery of
Roman pottery, 346
Hackney Marsh, 361 ; acquisition,
ib. ; flooding, 363 ; Temple Mills,
ib.; lands acquired by the East
London Waterworks Company,
364 ; White Hart, 365 ; Danes sail
up the Lea, ib. ; Roman remains,
366 ; former surroundings, 367 ;
White House, 368; Dick Turpin,
369 ; Rye House conspirators, ib. ;
floods, ib.; formation of canals or
cuts, 370; sect of Re-baptists, ib.;
INDEX
639
Sunday morning sports, 371 ; bull-
baiting, 373 ; life-saving, 374
' Halfway House,' 198
Hampstead Heath, 375 ; Judges' Walk,
376 ; acquisition, 379-382 ; sand de-
posit, 383 ; etymology, 383 ; manorial
history, ib.; brought into promin-
ence by the medicinal springs,
385 ; Hampstead Wells, 386 ; Sion
Chapel, 388 ; chalybeate spring, ib. ;
Well Walk and Keats, 389; the
Upper Flask and its frequenters,
Ib. ; Jack Straw's Castle, 390 ; John
Sadleir's suicide, 391 ; Spaniards
Inn, 392 ; Gordon riots, 393 ; Hamp-
stead volunteers, 394 ; Lord Ers-
kine's residence, 396; Erskine and
Burke, 397; Sir Edward Parry, 398 ;
Hampstead Ponds, 399 ; river Fleet,
401; Vale of Health, 402; Hill
House and its visitors, 403 ; Wild-
wood Avenue, 404 ; Lord Chatham
at North End, 405 ; gibbet-tree,
406; Golder's Hill, ib.; MarkAken-
side, 407; Bull and Bush, 408;
artist inhabitants ib.; Whitefield
preaches here, 409 ; Turpin and
Duval, ib. ; elections on the heath,
ib. ; horse-races, ib.; annual bonfire,
410 ; celebrated trees, ib. ; encroach-
ments on the heath, 411
Hampstead Heath Extension. See
Parliament Hill
Hanging Wood, 167 ; footpads, 168 ;
Roman remains, 169
Hanway, Jonas, 513, 514
Hatcham House, 138
Haydon, the painter, 516
Heaton's Folly, Peckham, 185
Henry V. 's reception at Blackheath, 3 1
Henry VI. at Blackheath, 32, 33
Henry VIII. receives Anne of Cleves
at Blackheath, 35 ; establishes
dockyard at Deptford, 123
Hewer, William, in
Highbury Barn, 445
Highbury Fields, 436 ; former rural
surroundings, ib.; encampment of
poor people during Fire of London,
437 ; earliest mention of Highbury,
ib. ; etymology, 438 ; encampment
of rebels under Jack Straw, ib. ;
manorial history, 439 ; Highbury
House and its owners, ib.; High-
bury Place, 440; ancient conduit,
441 ; Abraham Newland, 443 ; John
Nichols, 444 ; Highbury Barn, 445 ;
Highbury Society, ib.
Highbury Place, 440, 443
Highbury Society, 445
Highgate Cemetery, 593
Highgate, etymology, 579, 580
Highwaymen at Blackheath, 47
Hill House, Hampstead, 403
Hilly Fields, Brockley, 116 ; acquisi-
tion, 118; Bridge House Estates,
119; Bridge House Farm, ib. ;
Premonstratensian monastery, 120 ;
Deptford Common, 121 ; Brockley
Jack, 122
Hoare, Mr. J. Gurney, 382, 403
Hoare, Mr. Samuel, 403
Hogarth in Leicester Square, 480
Holgate, Archbishop, 22
Holland, William, 459
Holy Trinity, Mile End, churchyard,
623
Holy Trinity, Rotherhithe, church-
yard, 622
Homestall Farm, Peckham, 180
Honor Oak Hill, 185
Hood, Tom, 185
Hornsey Park and state receptions,
313
Hornsey Wood, 313, 315
Hornsey Wood House : old, 315 ;
new, 317
Horns Tavern, Kennington, 155
Horsemonger Lane Gaol, 201 ; public
execution, 204 ; Leigh Hunt in
prison here, 205
Huguenots, 175, 246, 359
Huguenots' Cemetery, Wandsworth,
246
Hungerford Bridge, 285
Hungerford Market, 284
Hungerford, Sir Edward, 284
Hunt, Leigh, confined in Horse-
monger Lane Gaol, 205 ; at Vale of
Health, Hampstead, 402, 419
Hunter, John, the surgeon, 484, 505
Huntingdon, Countess of, 548, 622, 623
Ignatius, Father, 594
Ireton, General, 512, 586, 587
Irving, Sir Henry, 607
Island Gardens, 447 ; laying-out, 448 ;
acquisition, ib. ; explanations of the
name Isle of Dogs, 449-451 ; wind-
mills and pasture-lands, 451 ; pro-
posed free ferry, 452 ; Pepys and the
Isle of Dogs, 453 ; ancient forest, 454 ;
breaches in the embankment, 455
Isle of Dogs, 447, 449, 450, 451, 452,
453- 454- 455
Isle of Ducks, 450
Islington, 436, 532, 533
Islington Spa, 532
640
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Jack Straw's Castle, Hampstead, 390
ack Straw's Castle, Highbury, 438
acobite rebellion, 144
amaica House, 198
ames I. at Highgate, 589
effreys, Judge, 617, 619
John, King, and Peckham Fair, 187
Johnson, Dr., 214,485, 515, 620
' Jolly Anglers,' Mill Fields, 347
Jones, Inigo, 282, 493, 494, 495, 504
Jonson, Ben, 508, 589
Judges' Walk, 376
Keats, the poet, 389, 402, 419
Kennington Common, 144
Kennington Park, 141 ; early history
and etymology, ib. ; manorial his-
tory, 142; description of Kennington
Common, 144 ; executions on the
common, ib.; St. Mark's Church,
148; Watling Street, 149; preachers
on the common, ib. ; elections, 150;
Chartist meeting, ib. ; laying-out,
152 ; Prince Consort and Ken-
nington Park, 153 ; fountains, ib. ;
Horns Tavern, 155 ; St. Agnes's
Church, 157
Kenwood. See Caen Wood
Keston Heath, 162
King's Bench Avenue, 376
Kirby, John, 256
Kit-Cat Club, 389
Knight's Hill, 94
Knights Templars, 363, 496
Lacy, Henry, Earl of Lincoln, 497
Lady well Recreation-Ground, 158 ;
etymology, ib. ; manorial history,
ib.; acquisition, 160 ; laying-out, ib. ;
river Ravensbourne, 162 ; St. Mary's
Church, 164 ; Priory Farm, 165
Lambeth Marsh, 291
Lambeth Palace, 291 ; library, 292 ;
chapel, ib.; Lollards' Tower, ib. ;
gate-house, 293 ; grounds, 294
Lammas rights, Battersea, 12 ; Hack-
ney, 335
Lauderdale, Duke of, 582, 583
Lauderdale House, 577, 581, 582, 583
Lea Bridge, 347
Lea Bridge Mills, 346
Lea Bridge Road, 346
Lea, River, 339, 349, 363, 365, 368,
37°
Leicester Fields, 468, 474, 480
Leicester House, Leicester Square,
468, 469, 471
Leicester Square, 466 ; the site in the
time of Aggas, ib. ; Leicester Fields
in 1658, 468 ; Leicester House, its
owners and frequenters, ib. ; Royalty
at Leicester House, 470 ; subse-
quent history, 471 ; Savile House,
472 ; Gordon riots, 473 ; Miss Lin-
wood's pictures, ib. ; first laying-out
of the square, 474 ; the gilded horse,
ib. ; first steps toward acquisition,
475 : Baron Grant's offer, 477 ;
opened to the public, 480 ;
Hogarth's residence in the square,
ib. ; Tenison's Grammar School,
482 ; Sir Joshua Reynolds, ib. ;
John Hunter and his museum, 484 ;
Sir Isaac Newton, 485 ; other cele-
brated inhabitants, ib.; the Empire
and Alhambra Music-Halls, 486
Lesness Abbey, 55
Lever, Sir Ashton, and his museum,
471, 472
Leycester House, Strand, 267
Limehouse Churchyard, 621
Lincoln's Inn Fields, 487 ; acquisi-
tion, 488 ; the ' Old Curiosity Shop,'
490 ; earliest history, 491 ; state
during Edward III.'s reign, 492;
James I.'s commission, 493 ; Oliver
Cromwell's proclamation, 494 ;
leased for building purposes, 495 ;
Knights Templars at Lincoln's Inn,
496; Earl of Lincoln's mansion,
497 ; execution of Babington con-
spirators and Lord William Russell,
498 ; Sadler's mock procession, 499 ;
mumpers and rufflers, ib. ; Act of
1735 for enclosing the square, 500 ;
Lindsay or Ancaster House, 502 ;
Powis or Newcastle House, 503 ;
Sardinian Chapel, 504 ; Royal
College of Surgeons, 505 ; Duke's
Theatre, 506; Lincoln's Inn Hall
and Library, 507 ; Soane Museum,
508 ; Whetstone Park, ib. ; other
celebrated inhabitants, 510
Lincoln's Inn Hall, 507
Lindsay House, 502
Linwood's, Miss, needlework pic-
tures, 473
Little Wormwood Scrubs, 609
Lodge Lane, Plumstead, 59
London Docks, 617
London Fields, 351 ; state before
acquisition, ib. ; encroachments,
352; ' Cat and Mutton,' 353 ; resort
of highwaymen, 354 ; cricket-match,
ib. ; extraordinary pedestrianism,
ib. ; military reviews, 355 ; Tower
House and Milton, 356 ; Defoe, ib. ;
Pigwell Fields, ib.
INDEX
641
Lowenmoor Common, 208
Lyttleton House, Blackheath, 40
Macartney House, Blackheath, 40
Macaulay, Lord, 105, 114, 437
Macaulay, Zachary, 107, 114
Macdouall, Dr., 569
Magpie and Stump, Chelsea, 298
Manor of Allfarthing, 239
Battersea, 3
Bostal or Borstal, 54
Brownswood, 312
Camberwell, 181
Camberwell Buckingham, 182
Camberwell Friern, ib.
Cantalowes, 417
Charlton, 166
Clapham, 97
Deptford, or West Greenwich,
124
Dulwich, 83
East Greenwich, 26
Fulham, 597
Hampstead, 384
Hatcham, 136
Highbury, 439
Kennington, 142
Lewisham, 158
Lordshold, Hackney, 336
Old Court, 28
Palingswick or Paddenswick, 519
Rosamunds, 598
Stoke Newington, 327
Tooting Beck, 213; Tooting
Graveney, 210
Tottenham or Totenhall, 545
Vauxhall or Fauxhall, 226
Walworth, 207
West Combe, 27
West Greenwich, 124
Wormholt Barns, 611
Mansfield, Lord, 419
Marvell, Andrew, 584, 585, 586
Maryon Park, 166; manorial history,
ib. ; Hanging Wood, 167 ; Roman
camp, 169; sand excavation, ib. ;
Warspite training-ship, 170 ; Cox's
Mount, 171
Mathew, Father, at Kennington Com-
mon, 150
Matthews, Charles, 432
Meath, Earl of, 574
Meath Gardens, 571 ; past history,
ib.; acquisition for public pur-
poses, 572 ; opened to the public,
Metropolitan Public Gardens Asso-
ciation, 361, 362, 572, 574
Middlesex, Forest of, 578
Millfield Lane, Highgate, 431
Mill Fields, 346 ; corn-mills, ib. ; Lea
Bridge Road, ib.; Lea Bridge, 347;
brick-earth, and fossil remains, ib. ;
the Battle of Hackney, 348
Mill stream, Bermondsey, 195
Millwall, 451
Milton at Hackney, 356; at Whet-
stone Park, 509
Minet, William, 172
Monger's Almshouses, 359
Montague House, Blackheath, 40
Moore, Thomas, visits Leigh Hunt in
prison, 205
Morden College, Blackheath, 42 ;
tradition of its foundation, 43
Mortmain Act, 576
Mumpers, 499
Myatt's Fields, 172 ; acquisition, ib. ;
market-gardens, 173 ; early history
of the site, ib. ; Minet family, 175;
development of the estate, ib.
Myddleton, Sir Hugh, 540, 541, 542
Neckinger stream, Bermondsey, 195
Neild, the miser, 306
Nelson Recreation-Ground, 199 ; body-
snatching, 200
Newcastle House, 503
Newington Recreation-Ground, 201 ;
Horsemonger Lane Gaol, ib. ;
public executions, 204 ; notable
prisoners, 205
Newland, Abraham, 443
New River, 321, 434, 534, 540-542
Newton, Sir Isaac, 485
New Tunbridge Wells, 532, 533
Nichols, John, 444
Northampton House, Strand, 287
North End, Hampstead, 404
Northumberland Avenue, 288
Northumberland House, 286
North Woolwich Gardens . See Royal
Victoria Gardens, North Woolwich
Nunhead Green, 188
Old Barge House, 457, 460
Old Crown Tea-gardens, Highgate,
596
' Old Curiosity Shop,' 490
Old garden, Brockwell Park, 72
Old Oak Common, 611
Oval, Kennington, 153
Paget House, 267
Pantheon, The, 622
Paragon, Blackheath, 45
Parliament Hill, 413; acquisition, ib.;
viaduct, 415 ; manorial history,
41
642
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
417 ; Lord Mansfield, 419 ; histori-
cal associations, ib. ; various theories
as to origin of name ' Parliament
Hill,' 420; Traitors' Hill, 421;
Venner and the Fifth Monarchy
men, ib. ; traditions relating to the
Tumulus, 422 ; opening and exam-
ination of the Tumulus, 424 ; Celtic
theory as to the Tumulus, 427 ;
discovery of treasure trove, 429 ;
Gospel Oak, 431 ; Millfield Lane,
ib.; Charles Matthews the elder,
432; Millfield Cottage and Ruskin,
ib. ; Fitzroy House, ib. ; Dr. South-
wood Smith, 434 ; Highgate ponds,
ib. ; foot-bridge at Gospel Oak, 435
Parry, Sir W. E., Arctic explorer, 398
Parson's Green, 598 ; Manor of Rosa-
munds, ib. ; Fulham Parsonage
House, 599 ; Peterborough House,
ib. ; Earl of Peterborough, 600 ;
Peterborough House gardens, 601 ;
Richardson's house, 603 ; Ivy
Cottage, ib. ; Sir Thomas Bodley,
604 ; Sir Arthur Aston, ib.
Paterson, William, 434
Peckham Rye, 176; acquisition, 177;
manorial history, 181 ; Friern
Manor-House, 184; etymology, ib. ;
Heaton's Folly, 185 ; Peckham Fair,
187
Peckham Rye Park, 176 ; acquisition,
178; HomestallFarm, 180 ; etymo-
logy, 184 ; Honor Oak Hill, 185 ;
Peckham Fair, 187
Pennethorne, Sir James, 13, 554, 561
Pepys' Diary, 48, 112, 198, 199, 256,
257. 258, 267, 269, 281, 284, 291,
418, 453, 455, 457, 469, 506, 534,
583
Perrers, Alice, 519, 520
Peterborough, Earl of, 600, 601
Peterborough House, 599, Goi, 602
Peter the Great at Buckingham
Street, 282 ; at Savile House, 472
Pigwell Fields, 356
Pimlico Shrubberies, 308
Pipe Fields, 532, 534
Platt, Sir Hugh, 256
Plow'd-Garlic-Hill, 134
Plumstead Common, 60 ; etymology,
ib. ; manorial history, 61 ; en-
closures, ib. ; War Office claim, 62 ;
acquisition, 63 ; accident at Sots'
Hole, 64 ; exchanges and additions,
ib. ; Roman remains, ib.; ancient
barrow or tumulus, 65 ; Plumstead
Marshes, ib. ; workhouse on the
common, 67 ; old mill, ib. ; Plum-
stead Manor-House, 68 ; relics of
agricultural days, ib. ; sandpits, 70
Polling-places on commons : Black-
heath, 47 ; Kennington, 150
Pollock, Sir George, 115
Poor's Land, Bethnal Green, 250
Pope, Alexander, 184, 389, 601
Portugal Row, 505
Powis House, 503
Premonstratensian monastery, 120
Press Band performances, 265
Prince Consort: exhibition of 1851,
17 ; Oval, Kennington, 153 ; model
lodging-house, ib.
Priory, The, Tooting, and the Bravo
mystery, 222
Queen Elizabeth's Walk, 330
Queen's House, Chelsea, 304
Raikes, Robert, 271
Raleigh Park (proposed), 74
Ranger's House, Blackheath, 38
Ravensbourne, River, 124, 162 ; deri-
vation of name, 162 ; mills on its
banks, 164
Ravenscourt Park, 518; acquisition
and subsequent improvements, ib. ;
Manor-House of Paddenswick, 519 ;
Alice Perrers and Edward III., ib.;
later manorial history, 520 ; Gold-
hawke Road, 524 ; encampment
during Civil War, 525
' Re-baptists' at Hackney Marsh, 370
Red House, Battersea, 6; description,
8 ; pigeon-shooting, 9 ; boat-racing,
ib. ; disgraceful scenes, 10 ; pur-
chased in forming Battersea Park, 12
Red Lion Square, 510 ; Red Lion
Fields and Inn, ib. ; Act for im-.
proving the square, 511 ; tradition
as to Cromwell's remains being
buried here, 512 ; first laying-out,
513; Jonas Hanway, ib, ; Haydon,
the painter, 516 ; other inhabitants
of the square, ib.; St. John's
Church, 517; baronial court, ib.
Resurrection men, 200
Reynolds, Sir Joshua, at Thrale Place,
Tooting, 218 ; in Leicester Square,
482
Richard II. at Blackheath, 30
Richardson, the novelist, 390, 603
Robinson, Anastasia, 601
Rochester episcopal palace, 155
Roman remains at Blackheath, 25 ;
Plumstead, 64 ; New Cross, 136 ;
Charlton, 169 ; Hackney Downs,
346 ; Hackney Marsh, 366 ; Hamp-
INDEX
643
stead, 384 ; Highbury, 438 ; Wool-
wich, 464
Rosebery Avenue, 530
Rosebery, Earl of, 21, 83, 575
Rossetti, Dante Gabriel, 304
Rotherhithe, 193 ; etymology, 194 ;
vine culture, ib.
Royal College of Surgeons, 505
Royal Masonic Institution, Wands-
worth Common, 246
Royal Victoria Gardens, North
Woolwich, 457 ; rise of Woolwich
to importance, ib. ; acquisition and
description, 458 ; the old North
Woolwich Gardens, 459 ; the free
ferry, 460 ; former swamp, 461 ;
legend relating to the swamp, 463 ;
military encampment, 464 ; Roman
remains, ib. ; breaches in the river
wall, ib.
Royal Victoria Patriotic Asylum,
243 ; legal proceedings re Wands-
worth Common, 244
Rufflers, 499
Runtz, John, 325
Rupert, Prince, 364
Ruskin, John, 433
Russell Court Playground, 623
Russell, Lord William, 498
Ryder, Sir William, 256
Rye House conspirators, 369, 498
Sadleir, John, M. P. .fraud and suicide,
391
Sadler's Wells, 536, 538
Sadler's Wells Theatre, 536, 539, 540
Sadler, Thomas, the thief, 499
St. Agnes' Church, Kennington, 157
St. Anne's, Limehouse, churchyard,
621
St. Bartholomew's, Bethnal Green,
churchyard, 621
St. Dunstan's, Stepney, churchyard,
621
St. Helena tavern and gardens, 199
St. Joseph's Retreat, 594
St. Leonard's Church, Streatham, 219;
Dr. Johnson worships here, 220
St. Mark's Church, Kennington, 148
St. Mary's Church, Lewisham, 164
St. Paul's, Rotherhithe, churchyard,
622
St. Paul's, Shadwell, churchyard, 622
Salisbury House, Strand, 276
Sardinian Chapel, 504
Savile House, Leicester Square, 472,
473
Savoy Conference, 273
Savoy Palace, 272
Semaphore telegraphy, 131 ; sema-
phore-station at Telegraph Hill, ib. ;
Maryon Park, 171 ; Hampstead,
378
Seven Sisters Road, 318
Seymour, William, 592
Shakespeare's statue, 480
Shandy Street Recreation - Ground,
624
Sharp, Granville, 108, 114
Shelley, the poet, 402, 419
Shepherd's Bush Common, 526 ;
what is a shepherd's bush ? 527 ;
acquisition, 528 ; historic cottages,
ib. ; Miles Syndercombe's attempt
on Cromwell's life, 528
Shooter's Hill, 48, 123
Shoreditch, Sir John, 570, 571
Shore, Jane, 570
Shoulder of Mutton Green, 70
Shrewsbury House, Chelsea, 299
Sigismund, Emperor, at Blackheath,
32
Sion House, 606
Smeaton, John, 440
Smith, Dr. Southwood, 434
Smith, W. H., M.P., 285, 286
Sloane, Sir Hans, 305, 307
Soane Museum, 508
Sots' Hole, Plumstead Common, 63
South wark Park, 190 ; formation and
laying out, ib. ; Oval, 191 ; Docks,
192 ; Christ Church, Rotherhithe,
193 ; Rotherhithe, ib. ; viticulture,
194 ; Neckinger stream, 195 ; Mill
stream, ib.; 'Halfpenny Hatch,'
196; 'China Hall,' ib. ; Jamaica
House, 198 ; Halfway House, ib. ;
St. Helena Gardens, 199
Spa Fields, 532, 622
Spa Green, 530 ; acquisition, ib. ;
Islington Spa, 532 ; its attractions
and frequenters, 533 ; Pipe Fields,
534 ; Ducking Pond Fields, ib. ;
various uses to which the Fields
have been put, 535 ; their lonely
character, 536 ; Sadler's Wells, ib. ;
Sadler's Wells Theatre, 539 ; New
River Company, 540
Spaniards Inn, Hampstead, 392
Spencer, Earl, Lord of the Manor of
Battersea, 5 ; Battersea ferry and
bridge, 19 ; criticism with regard
to Wandsworth Common, 237
Spurgeon, Rev. C. H., 101
Stepney churchyard, 621
Stirling, Mrs., 606
Stoke Newington and its celebrities,
326
41—2
644
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Stoke Newington churches, 332
Stoke Newington Common, 340 ; alms-
house built on common land, 341 ;
railway across common, ib.
Straw, Jack, 30, 391, 438
Streatham Common, 224-234 ; deri-
vation of name, 225 ; manorial
history, 226 ; acquisition, 229 ;
Streatham Wells, ib. ; attempted en-
croachments, 232 ; description, 233;
reserved cricket-ground, 234
Streatham Green, 224; attempt at
enclosure, 225
Streatham Park, originally part of
Tooting common lands, 212 ; Dr.
Johnson visits Mrs. Thrale here,
214 ; Sir Joshua Reynolds and the
portrait-gallery, 218
Streatham Spa, 229-232
Stuart, Arabella, 591, 592
Sub-tropical gardens, Battersea Park,
13. H
' Sucking-pig Dinner,' 9
Suffolk House, Strand, 287
Suffolk Place Farm, 58
Sutherland House, 558
Swain's Lane, 593
Syndercombe, Miles, 528, 529
Teignmouth, Lord, 108
Telegraph Hill, 130; acquisition, ib. ;
semaphore telegraph, 131 ; growth
of the neighbourhood, 134 ; alter-
native name, ib.; dispute as to
county, 135 ; manorial history, 136;
St. Catherine's Church, 139 ; Aske's
Schools, ib.
Telegraph Hill, Hampstead, 378
Temple Mills, 363
Tenison's Grammar School, 482
Tennyson, Lord, 510
Thornton, Henry, 107
Thrale, Mrs., and Dr. Johnson, 214
Thrale Place, Tooting, 214-218
Thurlow, Lord Chancellor, at Dul-
wich, 93 ; adventure at turnpike-
gate, Tooting Common, 218
Tin worth Fountain, KenningtonPark,
154
' Tom All Alone's,' 623
Tooting Commons, 209 ; etymology,
ib. ; Manor of Tooting Graveney,
210 ; origin of name Graveney, 211 ;
grants of common land, 212 ;
customs of the manor, ib. ; Manor
of Tooting Beck, 213 ; Dr. Johnson
and Thrale Place, 214; Sir Joshua
Reynolds at, Tooting, 218 : Streat-
ham and Tooting Churches, 219 ;
notable trees on the common, 220 ;
Queen Elizabeth and Tooting, ib. ;
The Priory and the Bravo mystery,
222 ; Sir Richard Blackmore, ib. ;
Defoe, 223 ; modern improvements
on the common, ib.
Toplady, Rev. A. M., 550, 551
Tottenham Court, 544, 545
Tottenham Court Road, 543, 545
Tottenham Fields, 544
Tower House, Hackney, 356
Traitors' Hill. See Parliament Hill
Tumuli at Blackheath, 25 ; Plum-
stead, 65
Tumulus, Parliament Hill, 422-429
Turpin, Dick, 53, 122, 369, 409
Tyler, Wat, 30, 163, 438
Upper Flask, Hampstead, 389
Vale of Health, 402
Vanbrugh Castle, Blackheath, 40 ;
Vanbrugh Fields, ib. ; Vanbrugh
House, 41
Venner and Fifth Monarchy men,
421
Victoria Embankment, 262
Victoria Embankment Gardens, 262-
289 ; Temple section, 265 ; Press
Band performances, ib. ; statues in
Temple section, 266 ; Essex House,
ib. ; Arundel House, 268 ; visited
by Pepys, 269 ; Astor offices, 270 ;
Villiers Street section, ib. ; statues
and tablets, ib. ; Cleopatra's Needle,
271 ; Savoy Palace, 272 ; Fox-
under - the - Hill, 275 ; Salisbury
House, 276 ; Durham House, 277 ;
the Adelphi, 278; Adelphi Terrace
and its residence, 279 ; York Water-
gate, 280 ; York or Buckingham
House, ib. ; acquisition of water-
gate and terrace, 283 ; York Water-
works, 284 ; Hungerford Market
and Bridge, ib. ; Whitehall
Gardens, 285 ; Northumberland
House, 286 ; purchased to form
Northumberland Avenue, 288 ;
Whitehall Gardens, 289
Victoria Fountain, 562, 564
Victoria Park, 553 ; recreation and
amusements, 554 ; formation, 558 ;
transferred to Metropolitan Board
of Works, ib. ; subsequent addition
INDEX
645
to park, 560 ; Burdett Road, 561 ;
superintendent's lodge, ib. ; Vic-
toria Fountain, 562 ; old alcoves,
563 ; public meetings, ib. ; Bonner's
Hall, 564 ; ancient attempt at en-
closure, 566 ; Chartist meeting in
Bonner's Fields, 567 ; Jane Shore's
House, 570
Victoria Park Cemetery, 571
Villa Carey, 599
Voltaire, 60 1
Volunteers : Blackheath Cavalry, 37 ;
Hackney, 355 ; Hampstead, 394
Waldo, Sir Timothy, 503
Walpole, Horace, 23
Walworth Common, 208
Walworth Recreation- Ground, 206 ;
traditional connection with Lord
Mayor Walworth, ib. ; manorial
history, 207 ; Walworth commons,
208
Walworth, Sir William, 206
Wandsworth Common, 235-249 ; ac-
quisition, 236 ; resort of gipsies,
237 ; etymology, 239 ; manorial
history, ib. ; association for pro-
tection of commoners' rights, ib. ;
Mayor of Garratt, 240 ; enclosures
of common land, 241 ; Patriotic
Asylum, 243 ; Wandsworth Gaol,
244 ; Craig telescope, 245 ; Black
Sea, ib. ; Huguenots' Cemetery,
246 ; Royal Masonic Institution,
ib. ; ' The Gables,' 248 ; Grose, the
antiquary, ib. ; Bolingbroke Grove,
249
Wapping Recreation -Ground, 615;
• clearing unhealthy areas, 616 ;
ancient Wapping, ib.; stag-hunt-
ing, 617; London Docks, ib. ; Judge
Jeffreys, ib. ; origin of bean-feasts,
619 ; Wapping and Dr. Johnson,
620
War Office, 62, 608, 609, 612, 613
Warspite training-ship, 170
Waterlow Park, 575 ; Sir Sydney
Waterlow's offer, ib. ; description
and public opening, 577 ; Forest of
Middlesex, 578 ; origin of name
Highgate, 579 ; Lauderdale House,
581 ; Duke of Lauderdale, 582 ;
Nell Gwynne, 583 ; Pepys at
Lauderdale House, ib. ; Andrew
Marvell's cottage, 584 ; Fairseat
House, 585 ; Cromwell House, ib. ;
General Ireton, 586 ; Winchester
Hall, 587 ; Arundel House, ib. ;
the Cornwallises, 588 ; royal
visitors, 589 ; Lord Bacon and
Arundel House, ib. ; Arabella
Stuart's escape, 590 ; Sir Thomas
Abney's mansion, 592 ; Highgate
Cemetery, 593 ; St. Joseph's Re-
treat, 594 ; Old Crown Tea-gardens,
596
Waterlow, Sir Sydney, 576, 583, 585
Water-supply of London, 441
Watling Street at Blackheath, 25 ; at
Kennington, 149
Watts, Dr. Isaac, 593
Wat Tyler's followers on Blackheath,
30, 163
Wellington, Duke of: duel, 7; Chartist
meeting, 151
Wells, Sir Spencer, 406
Well Street Common, 306 ; Cassland
Estate, 357 ; French Hospice, ib. ;
Monger's Almshouses, 359
Well Walk Chapel, 388
Well Walk, Hampstead, 388, 389,
408
Wesley, Revs. John and Charles, 547,
548- 551
Western commons, 597 ; manorial
history, ib.
West Kent Grammar School, 122
Whetstone Park, 508, 509
Whitefield, George, preaches at Black-
heath, 34; at Kennington Common,
149 ; at Hampstead Heath, 409 ;
sketch of his life, 546-549
Whitehall Gardens, 285
White Hart, Hackney, 365
White House, Hackney, 368
Whitfield Gardens, 543 ; acquisition,
ib. ; Tottenham Fields, 544 ; Tot-
tenham Court, 545 ; Adam and
Eve tavern, ib. ; life of Whitefield,
546 ; erection of tabernacle, 549 ;
Toplady, 550 ; Whitefield's court-
ship, 551
Wickham Lane, Plumstead, 54
Wilberforce, William, 107
Wildwoods, the residence of Lord
Chatham, 404
Winchelsea, Marquis of, duel, 7
Winchester Hall, Highgate, 587
Winchester House, Chelsea, 300
Winthrop Street Playground, 623
Witch burnt on Kennington Com-
mon, 146
Wolfe, General, 40
Woolwich free ferry, 460
Wordsworth, 475
Wormholt Races, 611
646
OPEN SPACES OF LONDON
Wormholt Scrubs. See Wormwood
Scrubs
Wormwood Scrubs, 608 ; acquisition,
609 ; acquisition of Little Scrubs,
ib. ; improvement works, 610 ;
derivation of ' Scrubs,' ib. ; right-
of-way action, ib. ; Manor of Worm-
holt Barns, 611 ; Wormholt Races,
ib. ; Old Oak Common, 612 ; waste
lands almshouses, ib. ; convict
prison, 613
Wormwood Scrubs Prison, 613
Wricklemarsh Manor and Mansion,
45
Wylde's Great Globe, 475
York, Duke of, K.G., 574
York Horse, Battersea, 21, 22
York House, Strand, 280
York House, St. James's Park, 558
York Terrace, 283
York Water-gate, 280
York Waterworks, 284
THE END.
Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, London, E.G.
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