Guilds -- England -- London; London (England) -- Description and travel; London (England) -- History
“The first I have discovered was John Bill, who, ‘at the King’s Printing
House in Black Friars,’ printed the proclamations of the reign of
Charles II., and the first London Gazette, established in that reign.
Charles Eyre and William Strahan were the last King’s printers who
resided here, and in February, 1770, the King’s Printing House was
removed to New Street, near Gough Square, in Fleet Street, where it now
is. The place still continues to deserve its name of Printing House
Square, for here every day in the week (Sunday excepted) _The Times_
newspaper is printed and published, and from hence distributed over the
whole civilized world. This celebrated paper, finding daily employment
on the premises for between 200 and 300 people, was established in
1788,—the first number appearing on the 1st of January in that year.”
(Cunningham.) _The Times_ office is a very notable feature in Queen
Victoria Street by reason of its great height and conspicuous clock.
Queen Victoria Street and Upper Thames Street gradually diverge at a
very acute angle. The former is on a lower level than the latter, and is
divided from it for about seventy yards by a low wall only, with an open
space crossed by steps. In Queen Victoria Street on the left is the
square tower of St. Andrew by the Wardrobe, outlined in white stone, and
thrown into relief by a rather ornamental red-brick building which
stands in front.
=St. Andrew’s Hill= was sometimes called Puddle Dock Hill. In Ireland
Yard stood the house bought by Shakespeare in 1612, and bequeathed by
him to his daughter Susanne Hall. In Green Dragon Court there stood,
until a year or two ago, one of the oldest of the London taverns from
which the court took its name.
=The Wardrobe.=—On the north side of St. Andrew’s church stands a small
square which, with its trees and the absence of vehicles or shops, is
one of the most quiet spots in the whole City. This square was formerly
the court of the town house built by Sir John Beauchamp (d. 1359), whose
tomb in St. Paul’s Cathedral was commonly called Duke Humphrey’s tomb.
Before his death the house became the property of King Edward III. who
made it a Royal Wardrobe House, and so it remained until the Great Fire.
James I. gave the collection of dresses—called by Fuller a “Library of
antiquaries wherein to read the fashion and mode of garments in all
ages”—to the Earl of Dunbar, by whom they were all sold and dispersed.
The wardrobe was taken after the Fire to the Savoy and then to
Buckingham Street, Strand. The last keeper was Ralph, Duke of Montagu
(d. 1709).
When Charles V. came to England in 1522, among the lodgings assigned to
his suite was the house of Margaret Hanley, “under the Wardrobe side,
having two chambers and two beds.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account