CHAPTER 14: VIII—NO. 53, CHARING CROSS AND NO. 21, SPRING GARDENS (DEMOLISHED)
History of the Site.
The sites of Nos. 53–56, Charing Cross, were formerly occupied
by three tenements, shown by the Ministers' Accounts for 1534–5 to be in
lease to John Shypton, William de la Haye and Henry Hornecliff. On
20th March, 1547–8, a new lease for 21 years was granted (fn. 1) to John "Shepton"
of the tenement then in his tenure, and further leases of the same were
obtained by John Ussher on 3rd March, 1564–5 (for 21 years from the
preceding Michaelmas), and Robert Power on 23rd May, 1573 (for 21 years
from the termination of Ussher's lease). The second tenement is shown
by a comparison of later Ministers' Accounts to have come into the possession
of William Kytchyn, who on 14th March, 1547–8, obtained (fn. 2) a 21 years'
lease of the tenement then in his tenure. On 26th May, 1568, Henry
Mackwilliams received (fn. 3) a new lease of the premises for 21 years from the
previous Lady Day. The third tenement came into the hands of William
Weston, joiner, who on 22nd March, 1554–5, obtained (fn. 4) a grant of the
messuage then or late in the tenure of Henry "Horneclyffe" for 21 years
from the following Lady Day.
On 19th July, 1576, a lease was granted (fn. 5) to John Dymbleby (fn. 6) of
the second and third tenements for 30 years. At the end of four years he
had rebuilt the greater part of these two tenements, and as the first tenement
was in a very bad condition and also required rebuilding, he managed to
obtain (fn. 7) on 24th November, 1580, a new lease for 40 years of all three.
Later (8th June, 1591) he secured (fn. 8) a reversionary lease for 21 years from
1620. Charles I's need for money led to the inclusion in a grant (fn. 9) of
24th December, 1631, to Charles Harbord, William Scriven and Philip
Eden, of these and many other properties, in perpetual fee farm, at the rent
of 53s. 4d. (20s., 20s. and 13s. 4d.), which had obtained from the days of
Henry VIII.
What then happened it is impossible to say, (fn. 10) but when next found
the premises are in the possession of Sir George Pratt and John Bond. Pratt's
portion, covering the sites of Nos. 53–55, Charing Cross, was the larger,
comprising two houses, one in his own occupation and the other in that of
Lady Kingsmill. (fn. 11) From these facts it is possible by reference to the ratebooks
to ascertain something of the former occupants. The southern house was
from 1608 to 1614 in the occupation of George Calvert, (fn. 12) and in 1615 and
1616 in that of Sir Thomas Mildmay, who is shown in the ratebooks next
to Sir Jerome Bowes. Mildmay was succeeded in 1618 by Lewis Lameere,
whose name continues to 1633, and that of his widow to 1637. In 1638
Lady Kingsmill (fn. 13) appears.
Lady Kingsmill (fn. 14) died in 1672 (fn. 15) , and shortly afterwards the house
was in the occupation of Thomas Povey. (fn. 16) No later resident seems to have
been of any importance. In 1698 George Pratt Webb, grandson of Sir
George Pratt, figures in a recovery deed (fn. 17) relating to (i) the house "wherein
Dame Bridgett Kingsmill formerly dwelt near Charing Crosse … and next
adjoining unto the messuage wherein Sir George Pratt formerly dwelt,"
and (ii) a messuage in the Strand formerly called "the Sugar Loafe,"
whereby the two messuages were to be "to the use of the said George Pratt
Webbe … for ever." The object of the deed was evidently to enable Webb
to dispose of the two houses, and that he did sell The Sugar Loaf soon afterwards is known. (fn. 18) No record has been found of the sale of Lady Kingsmill's
house, but it never appears again, save as a boundary in deeds relating to
Sir George Pratt's house, and there can be no doubt that it was sold, at about
the same time, probably to Samuel Browne. In a deed of 1712 (fn. 19) , among
the fee farm rents receivable by the lessees of the Manor of Westminster,
occur "all that rent of one pound per annum issuing out of a Tenement
within the said Manor of Westminster then or late in the possession of
John Elderidge, and all that Rent of one pound per annum issuing out of a
Tenement within the said Manor … then or late in the possession
of — Bond Esquire, and all that rent of thirteen shillings and
fourpence per annum issuing out of a Tenement or Tenements within the
said Manor … then in the possession of Samuel Brown." These amounts
make up the 53s. 4d. payable on the three tenements of Shypton, De la Haye
and Hornecliff. John Edridge was one of the occupiers of Sir George
Pratt's house, and John Bond was the owner of the house to the north of
Pratt's. There is therefore a presumption that Samuel "Brown" had an
interest in the remaining portion of the three tenements, namely, Lady
Kingsmill's house; and the presumption becomes a practical certainty
when we find that, on the Westminster Bridge Commissioners deciding (fn. 20)
to widen "the Passage called the New Passage leading from Charing Cross
into Spring Garden," it was from Samuel Collins, "son and heir of Francis
Collins by Elizabeth his wife … which said Elizabeth was the Daughter
and only Child of Samuel Browne," that they had to purchase the property
on the north side required for the improvement. (fn. 21) It is described as a piece
of ground on the west side of the street and on the east side of Spring Garden,
together with the two messuages thereon, abutting south on the passage
and north on a messuage in occupation of William Hannington (the then
occupier of the house on the site of Pratt's house), and the dimensions are
given as 27 feet in front to the street, 24 feet at the west end, 78 feet on the
south side and 71 feet on the north side. The commissioners pulled down
the houses, widened the street, and in 1765 sold the residue, (fn. 22) containing
16 feet frontage to Charing Cross and 15 feet frontage on the west, to Jane
Marsh, subject to a payment of 13s. 4d. annually to the Crown. Lady Kingsmill's
house is shown (the last house but one to the left) in the view of Charing
Cross reproduced in Plate 85, and a part of it can be seen in the view
reproduced in Plate 86.
The buildings erected on the site lasted until demolished for the
purposes of the Mall Approach.
Description of the Structure.
No. 53, Charing Cross, with the corresponding house in Spring
Gardens, comprised a brick exterior of three storeys and a slate Mansard
roof. Though containing three fronts, the whole was successfully treated
as an architectural composition.
The front facing south-east to Spring Gardens had a central pedimented doorway and sidelights, and above was a three-light Venetian window,
a feature which was repeated on all three elevations. The short return to Spring
Gardens proper had a doorway and sidelights treated in a similar manner
to the window over.
The portion facing Charing Cross had a well-designed shop front
(probably added in the early part of the nineteenth century (fn. 23) ) with a short
return to Spring Gardens. An interesting feature shown in Plate 88b is the
box arrangement for keeping the shutters of the shop window during the
daytime.
Historical Notes.
The occupants of No. 53, Charing Cross, from the time of its erection in 1765 until 1840,
were, according to the ratebooks, as follows:
|
| 1765–95 | Jane Marsh |
| 1796–98 | Mrs. Edge |
| 1799–1804 | Rich. Lane |
| 1805–18 | Commissioners of Barracks (or Barrack Account Office) |
| 1819 | Thos. Bonner |
| 1821–23 | Lumley and Joblin |
| 1824 | Geo. Lumley |
| 1825– | Robt. Taylor and Thos. Bowley |
In the Council's Collection Are:
(fn. 24) General exterior to Charing Cross (photograph).
(fn. 24) General exteriors to Spring Gardens (2) (photographs).
(fn. 24) View of Charing Cross from sketch drawing by W. Capon, circa 1810 (photograph).