CHAPTER 11: SUFFOLK STREET AND SUFFOLK PLACE
History of the Site.
Suffolk Street and Suffolk Place are built upon the close of land,
shown on the plan of 1585 (see p. 2) as in the tenure of Widow Golightly,
and now roughly represented by the ground bounded by the Haymarket, Cockspur Street, Whitcomb Street and Orange Street. (fn. a) Unlike
most of the land in the district this piece of ground can be traced as a separate
entity at least from the time of Henry VIII. It can almost certainly be
identified with the "crofte … lyinge in the parisshe of Sainte Margaret
in the lane next the King's Muse" which John Norris, "yeoman," in 1513
left (ref. 134) to his wife Christian for the term of her life and with the close of 3 acres
of pasture which was soon afterwards purchased (ref. 135) by Henry VIII of John
Norres, grandson of the above John. (fn. b)
A list of "the Kynges new purchest landes" refers to this close as in
the tenure of William Depon. In 1568 a 21 years' lease of it was granted to
Christian Golightly and in 1575 a reversionary lease for 31 years was granted
to Nicholas Golightly. It is referred to as "Deppons Close in the tenure of
Widdow golightelye" in a survey of the commons of St. Martin's parish
made in 1575. (ref. 35) Nicholas and his brother John Golightly both died without
issue and the lease passed into the possession of a nephew, Thomas Garland.
In 1610 a 60 years' lease of the ground (fn. c) was included in one of the composite grants of property made by James I to John Eldred, William Whitmore and others who in the same year sold it, via a certain William Angell,
to Henry Howard, Earl of Northampton. (ref. 137) The latter built stables and
coachhouses on the ground, it being conveniently placed opposite Northampton House which had no adequate stabling accommodation. In 1614 Thomas
Howard, Earl of Suffolk, became possessed of both Northampton House
and its stables and in consequence they underwent a change of name. (ref. 54) The
Suffolk Stables were surveyed by Parliament in 1650 and were then stated to
be surrounded by a brick wall, to be 2 acres, 3 roods, 14 poles in extent and
to be worth £23 17s. 10d. a year though leased for 20s. a year. (ref. 137) The ground
was made part of the so-called Bailiwick or Mannor of St. James which in
1662 was granted to the Earl of St. Albans and others in trust for Queen
Henrietta Maria for life, and from them the Earl of Suffolk obtained in
1662–3 a renewal of his lease with liberty to build. (ref. 138) Suffolk Street (sometimes called Great Suffolk Street) first appears in the rate books in 1664 and
reference to Morden and Lea's map of 1682 (Plate 1) shows that it was
approximately on the site of the present Suffolk Street. Little Suffolk Street,
which was first rated in 1672, was further north than the present Suffolk
Place and extended on the east side of Suffolk Street to Whitcomb Street
(then Hedge Lane). Strype, in his 1720 edition of Stow, tells us that Suffolk
Street "is a very good Street, with handsome Houses, well inhabited and
resorted unto by Lodgers." The Earl of Suffolk is rated there in 1666–82,
and the Earls of Thanet and Carlisle were there in the 1680s. Most of the
earlier residents could be classed among the lesser gentry, ambassadors, (fn. d)
doctors and the like. In January, 1667–68, Pepys notes that the King had
furnished a house for Moll Davis, the actress, "in Suffolke Street most
richly, which is a most infinite shame." (fn. e) (ref. 39) One of her neighbours, Sir John
Coventry, shared Pepys' opinion and expressed it too openly in Parliament,
with the result that in December, 1670, he was "sett upon in Suffolk Street
as hee was going to his lodging with several persons on horse-back and on
foot" and his nose was slit. (fn. f) (ref. 139)
Howard, Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire
Coventry
In 1692 a lease was granted to Edward Russell, afterwards Earl of
Orford, of all the Suffolk Stable property which was then said to be two
acres in extent, though the boundaries given are identical with those in
earlier leases. (ref. 140) Russell seems to have sold his interest soon after to John
and Thomas Moore who were granting building leases of sites in the Haymarket, Suffolk Street, Whitcomb Street and on the north side of Cockspur
Street in the 1720s. Thomas Moore subsequently mortgaged the
property to Harry Spencer of London, Merchant, who later re-mortgaged
it to Sir Joseph Hankey. (ref. 141) The lease appears, however, to have been
redeemed, for in 1819 when it expired it was in the possession of George
Moore.
By the beginning of the 19th century Suffolk Street and Little
Suffolk Street had fallen into decay and disrepute and a plan for their redevelopment was included in the scheme for the extension of Pall Mall.
A plan, reproduced on Plate 78, was prepared by John Nash, which provided
for shops being built on the east side of the Haymarket, and on both sides
of Suffolk Street, and an arcade on the line of Suffolk Place. Nash also
suggested that Suffolk Street should be extended northwards to James Street
(now Orange Street). Nash's original scheme underwent considerable
modification, but there is little doubt that he was responsible for the final
lay-out of the ground, and exercised some control over the design of all the
houses, as well as being specifically responsible for certain individual
buildings. (ref. 142)
All the land on the east side of Suffolk Street and the greater part
of that on the west was taken up by John Edwards in 1820 as a speculation.
For some time no tenants were forth coming, but in 1822 the University
Club took the site at the south-east corner and Nash advised Edwards to
build on the other sites without
delay. Edwards was unwilling
to take the risk and re-sold the
ground to Nash for £4,500.
Building operations were begun
immediately, and by the end of
1823 most of the property was
leased out.
Figure 27:
No. 1, Suffolk Place
In 1829 a Select Committee was summoned to investigate the part played by Nash in
the development of several
Crown properties, including
those in Suffolk Street, and it
was found that Nash, whilst
acting as agent and surveyor to
the Crown, had had "to report
upon the buildings erected by
himself on the ground of which he was the lessee." (ref. 142) The Committee
exonerated him from any suggestion of dishonesty, but recommended that
such an invidious position should be avoided in future.
Architectural Description.—The whole street façade is carried out in
stucco, and though the designs of the various buildings were the work of
different architects, there is a certain amount of uniformity in their treatment,
which in all probability is due to the control exercised by Nash on the plans
and elevations (Plates81, 82, 83, 84).
Suffolk Place and No. 23, Suffolk Street.—The whole of the north side
of Suffolk Place with the return front to No. 3, Haymarket and the return
double front to No. 23, Suffolk Street, were designed as an architectural
entity, and remain today as one of the few surviving examples of Nash's
effective designing in street architecture. The main façade comprises three
storeys, with the ground storey containing a continuous range of fluted Doric
columns supported on corbels in the open areas, and surmounted by an iron
balcony railing to the first floor windows. The western end and front facing
the Haymarket shows a very satisfactory treatment of a shop window. The
south side of Suffolk Place, now destroyed, was treated in a manner
complementary to the northern side (Plate 83a, 83b).
A building lease of the whole site was granted in September, 1824, to John Godsman,
for 99 years from July, 1821. (ref. 43) The first occupiers of the individual houses were: No. 1—Francis
Squibb (1824–25), No. 2—Henry Walker (1823–24), No. 3—Edward Price (1824–33), No. 4—T. W. Rowland (1823–25), No. 5—John Collett (1824–29). Richard Cobden, statesman, died in
lodgings at No. 23, Suffolk Street in April, 1865, a fact which is recorded on a tablet erected on
the house in 1905 by the Council.
The University Club House, No. 1, Suffolk Street.—The old building
was erected in 1822–23 from the designs of W. Wilkins and J. P. GandyDeering. (fn. g) Extensions afterwards became necessary, and the present
building, erected in 1906, covers the sites of Nos. 1–4, Suffolk Street.
No. 5.—This house
(and No. 4, now demolished)
was designed by George
Ledwell Taylor.
No. 5 was first rated in
1826, when the occupant was William
Rowe.
No. 6 was occupied
from 1824 until 1830 by
Edward Cresy, the architect,
and joint author with G. L.
Taylor of The Architectural
Antiquities of Rome, 1821–22,
and Architecture of the Middle
Ages in Italy, 1829. Cresy
appears to have been influenced in his design of the
house by Andrea Palladio's
villa at Vicenza. (ref. 143)
Figure 28:
Nos. 3, 4 and 5, Suffolk Place
No. 6½. The Gallery
of The Royal Society of British
Artists.—This building has
only a small frontage to Suffolk
Street, forming an entrance to
the Gallery. The latter is on
the first floor level, and extends
over what were originally vaults and stabling accommodation in Dorset Place
(now Whitcomb Street). The exterior, which was designed by Nash, has a
Doric pediment supported on four detached fluted columns, the height of
the first and second floors; these stand on an advanced arcaded ground
storey. The interior was designed by James Elmes in collaboration with
Nash.
Nos. 8, 9 and 11 appear to have been designed by Nash on ground
originally leased to John Edwards. (ref. 142) The main cornice to the front of the
Gallery of No. 6½ is continued to these three houses. There does not appear
ever to have been a No. 10, and the original No. 7 appears to have been
absorbed into No. 8.
The first occupiers of these houses were: No. 7—Joseph Mould (1827–30), No. 8—Thomas Hyde Villiers (1826–29), No. 9—James Foote (1825–26), No. 11—Henry Sothern
(1825).
Nos. 12–17.—These six houses were designed by Lewis Wyatt,
nephew of James Wyatt, the surveyor-general, and himself described by
Elmes as an architect "whose talents have tended towards the embellishment
and improvement of the metropolis." Wyatt obtained building leases of the
sites of Nos. 12–14, and he lived at No. 13 for a number of years. (fn. h) The
sites of Nos. 15–17 were bought by John Holroyd who employed Wyatt as
his architect. No. 16, which forms an effective terminal to the street, appears
to have been used as a hotel from the time of its erection till the present day.
Figure 29:
No. 6, Suffolk Street
The first occupants of these houses were: No. 12—Joseph Mould (1824–28), No. 13—Lewis Wyatt (1823–29), No. 14—Stephen Garrard (1823–29), No. 15—Henry Thos. King
(1824–25), No. 16—John Holroyd (1824–29), No. 17—Henry Edward Kendall, architect
(1824–56).
Nos. 18 and 19.—These form the Suffolk Street front of the Haymarket Theatre erected for David Edward Morris by Nash (see p. 99).
Nos. 20–22.—These three houses were obviously erected to the same
design, but the architect has not been ascertained.
(The earliest occupants were: No. 20—Thos. Gwennap (1823–26), No. 21—Geo.
Lumley (1824–40), No. 22—Eliza Jane Chester (1823–37)).
Ground Landlord.—The freehold of all the Suffolk Street and Suffolk
Place houses is vested in the Crown.
Figure 30:
Design for three houses in Suffolk Street