Survey of London: Volume 5, St Giles-in-The-Fields, Pt II. Originally published by London County Council, London, 1914.
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'No. 25, Endell Street', in Survey of London: Volume 5, St Giles-in-The-Fields, Pt II, (London, 1914) pp. 105. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol5/pt2/p105 [accessed 24 April 2024]
In this section
XLIX.—No. 25, ENDELL STREET.
Ground Landlords.
The Trustees of the late John King, Esq.
General description and date of structure.
Plots of land on both sides of Belton Street were leased for building by Sir John Brownlow, apparently in 1682, (fn. 1) and a stone tablet (fn. 2) gave the date of the street's formation as 1683. The name obviously refers to the seat of the Brownlow family at Belton in Lincolnshire.
About 1846 the street was widened on the eastern side and renamed Endell Street, after the Rev. James Endell Tyler, then Rector of St. Giles.
At the expiration of the original leases in 1728, Peter Walter purchased portions of the Brownlow property, including a house in Belton Street "in the occupation of Daniel Holme, (fn. 3) surgeon, and used by him as a bagnio." (fn. 4) Holme's Bagnio was, it appears, the fourth house (inclusive) from the corner of Castle Street, and is therefore to be identified with the present No. 25, Endell Street.
At the rear of these premises is an apartment, about 16 feet by 9 feet, which is known as "Queen Anne's Bath." It has a coved ceiling surmounted by a small lantern, and on each side bull's eye windows are constructed in the coved part of the ceiling. The roof is covered with tiles. The form of the chamber can be seen by Plate 37, which is taken from a water-colour drawing made by J. W. Archer in 1844. There are some blue and white tiles still affixed to the walls, but there is insufficient evidence to enable a definite date to be given to these. The level of the top of the steps is about 10 feet below the present street pavement. The floor of the bath is said to be about 18 feet below that level, but it cannot be seen as the bath is filled with soil and rubbish to an estimated depth of about 8 feet. The structure is dilapidated and floored over at about 18 inches below pavement level, and is now used as an iron merchant's store.
Tradition asserts that the bath was frequented by Queen Anne, (fn. 5) a statement that it is not possible to confirm. The apartment is, however, very possibly a relic of the old "bagnio."
The Council's collection contains:—
(fn. 6) No. 25, Endell Street—Queen Anne's Bath (photograph).
No. 41, Endell Street—Exterior (photograph).