Essex Street, London

Location of Essex Street and Little Essex Street
North end of Essex Street
London County Council plaque on Essex Hall at 7 Essex Street

Essex Street is a street in the City of Westminster that runs from Milford Lane in the south to Strand in the north. It is joined by Little Essex Street on its western side and Devereux Court on the eastern side.

History

Essex Street was laid out by Nicholas Barbon[1] around 1675 or 1680 on the grounds of the former Essex House which itself stood on the site of the Outer Temple, once owned by the Knights Templar. The highwayman Tom Cox, hanged at Tyburn in 1691, was known for his activities in the area.[1]

In the first half of the twentieth century, the street was known for its publisher's offices such as Chapman & Hall[1] and Methuen (No. 36).[2] Macmillan were at 4 Little Essex Street until 1990.[1] The Roman Catholic journal Merry England, edited by Wilfred Meynell, was published from 43 Essex Street.[2]

Buildings

Theophilus Lindsey founded the Essex Street Chapel, the first Unitarian place of worship in London, in the street in 1774. The chapel has since relocated to Kensington, and Essex Hall now stands on the site.[1]

The Edgar Wallace public house at number 40 is on the site of the former Essex Head Tavern,[1] where Samuel Johnson and Richard Brocklesby established the Essex Head Club in 1783.[3]

There are a number of listed buildings in the street. Numbers 11, 14, 19, 34 and 35 are all grade II listed, while 32 is grade II* listed. California House is grade II and the "triumphal" style gateway at the southern end of the street (c.1676), which once screened it from Essex Wharf and its neighbouring wharfs beyond, is grade II. The gateway was damaged by bombing during the Second World War and after repairs it was incorporated into a 1953 office building that now encloses the southern end of the street apart from pedestrian access by steps to the southern part of Milford Lane.[4]

Little Essex Street

The Cheshire Cheese, 2009

The Cheshire Cheese public house at 5 Little Essex Street stands on a site where there has been a tavern since the 16th century.[1] It is a Grade II listed building, rebuilt in 1928 by the architect Nowell Parr on the site of an earlier pub, for the Style & Winch Brewery.[5]

Notable former residents

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Essex Street" in Christopher Hibbert; Ben Weinreb; John Keay; Julia Keay. (2010). The London Encyclopaedia. London: Pan Macmillan. p. 277. ISBN 978-0-230-73878-2.
  2. 1 2 Williams, George G. Assisted by Marian and Geoffrey Williams. (1973) Guide to literary London. London: Batsford. p. 87. ISBN 0713401419
  3. ↑ James Sambrook, "Essex Head Club (act. 1783–1794)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004-2016. Retrieved 17 November 2016. (subscription required)
  4. ↑ Historic England. "Essex Watergate Closing South End of Street (1066823)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  5. ↑ Historic England. "Cheshire Cheese Public House (1431970)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 November 2016.

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