Old Church Street
Encyclopedia
Old Church Street is a street in London
, England in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
.http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/vmgallery/general/large.asp?gallery=vm_history&img=history/thumb/vm_hs_0001.jpg&size=large&caller=vm_history_gallery.asp&cpg=1&tpg=4
It runs from Chelsea Embankment
to Fulham Road
, crossing Kings Road
. The section to the north of Kings Road
is sometimes called Upper Old Church Street. At the Chelsea Embankment end is Chelsea Old Church (All Saints) which gives its name to the whole street, the oldest in Chelsea. It was mentioned in 1566, but was called Church Lane at that time. The recording studios, Sound Techniques, was at 46a Old Church Street from 1964 to 1972. It was here that Nick Drake
recorded his first album "Five Leaves Left". Pink Floyd
, Sandy Denny
, Fairport Convention
, Steeleye Span
, Pentangle
, John Martyn, Beverley Martyn
, Richard Thompson, Martin Carthy
, Judy Collins
, John Cale
, The Yardbirds
and The Who
also recorded here.
lived at 56 Old Church Street. Close to the junction of Old Church Street and Mallord Street, at 28 Mallord Street is a house designed in 1913–14 for Augustus John
. At 13 Mallord Street, A. A. Milne
lived. Just yards away is 127 Old Church Street. A plaque marks this house as the residence of William
and Evelyn De Morgan
. The building was especially adapted for them so that they could create and paint ceramics. The notable shoe designer Manolo Blahnik
(b 1942) sold his shoes to “Zapata” a boutique on Old Church Street. The Chelsea Arts Club
is at number 143. The sporting painter John F Sartorius (c. 1775–1830) has a plaque marking his house at number 155. In 1792 there was a field called “Queen’s Elm Field” at the northern end of the street. Several houses were built there in 1794. On the corner of Old Church Street and Fulham Road is a building called “The Queen’s Elm”. It was once a pub but is now a fashion shop. Directly opposite is a Jewish burial ground. It was in use from 1815 to 1884 by the Western Synagogue, now called the Western Marble Arch Synagogue. The southern side of Fulham Road at this point is called Queen’s Elm Parade.
Steve Clark
, former guitarist for Def Leppard
lived and died in his home at 44 Old Church.
Charles Shapley was bound apprentice lighterman to Thomas Rowles on 13. Jan 1726 , at Christ Church (Blackfriars, Southwark). He gained his freedom as "Freeman of the River Thames" after 7 years on 14. Feb 1733. http://www.trueflaregenealogy.co.uk/. In his will made 19 August 1779 (Public Record Office ref. - PROB 11/1069 - http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?queryType=1&resultcount=1&Edoc_Id=392579) Charles Shapley (Chapley) "... coal merchant and lighterman ..." , http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/James_Abbot_McNeill_Whistler_006.jpg, gave his residence as his "freehold house" in Church Lane, Chelsea http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=74658 . He bequeathed two freehold houses in Church Lane and another two freehold houses around the corner in Lombard Street http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=74664 which was formerly that part of Cheyne Walk
lying between No. 67 and the entrance to Danvers Street . Charles Shapley made provision for his interment in Chelsea Old Church http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=99955 north side where he had caused a stone to be raised ("All Saints" 1788 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/image.aspx?compid=74661&filename=figure0756-004.gif&pubid=756 showing Arch House http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=74663. Lombard Street was through the arch). In the year 2000, the Museum of London Archaeological Services carried out an archaeological dig at the cemetery http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/Collections-Research/LAARC/Centre-for-Human-Bioarchaeology/Database/Post-medieval+cemeteries/Chelsea.htm . One of the few graves identified was that of "Charles Shapley (70 years)"http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/download/chb/images/ocu00/full/OCU00_525_7.jpg. His coffin was fitted with a large decorated lead plate bearing the inscription "Mr Charles Shapley Died 16 Sept 1780 Aged 70". The plate is archived by the Museum of London Archaeological Services.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is a central London borough of Royal borough status. After the City of Westminster, it is the wealthiest borough in England....
.http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/vmgallery/general/large.asp?gallery=vm_history&img=history/thumb/vm_hs_0001.jpg&size=large&caller=vm_history_gallery.asp&cpg=1&tpg=4
It runs from Chelsea Embankment
Chelsea Embankment
Chelsea Embankment is part of the Thames Embankment, a road and walkway along the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England.The western end of Chelsea Embankment, including a stretch of Cheyne Walk, is in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea; the eastern end, including...
to Fulham Road
Fulham Road
Fulham Road is a street in London, England, that runs from the A219 road in right in the centre of Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, through Chelsea to Brompton Road Knightsbridge and the A4 in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.Fulham Road runs parallel...
, crossing Kings Road
Kings Road
King's Road or Kings Road, known popularly as The King's Road or The KR, is a major, well-known street stretching through Chelsea and Fulham, both in west London, England...
. The section to the north of Kings Road
Kings Road
King's Road or Kings Road, known popularly as The King's Road or The KR, is a major, well-known street stretching through Chelsea and Fulham, both in west London, England...
is sometimes called Upper Old Church Street. At the Chelsea Embankment end is Chelsea Old Church (All Saints) which gives its name to the whole street, the oldest in Chelsea. It was mentioned in 1566, but was called Church Lane at that time. The recording studios, Sound Techniques, was at 46a Old Church Street from 1964 to 1972. It was here that Nick Drake
Nick Drake
Nicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician. Though he is best known for his sombre guitar based songs, Drake was also proficient at piano, clarinet and saxophone...
recorded his first album "Five Leaves Left". Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, Sandy Denny
Sandy Denny
Sandy Denny , born Alexandra Elene Maclean Denny, was an English singer and songwriter, perhaps best known as the lead singer for the folk rock band Fairport Convention...
, Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
, Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span are an English folk-rock band, formed in 1969 and remaining active today. Along with Fairport Convention they are amongst the best known acts of the British folk revival, and were among the most commercially successful, thanks to their hit singles "Gaudete" and "All Around My Hat"....
, Pentangle
Pentangle (band)
Pentangle are a British folk rock band with some folk jazz influences. The original band were active in the late 1960s and early 1970s and a later version has been active since the early 1980s...
, John Martyn, Beverley Martyn
Beverley Martyn
Beverley Martyn is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist.While still a student, she was picked to front The Levee Breakers, a jug band who played the folk circuit in South East England...
, Richard Thompson, Martin Carthy
Martin Carthy
Martin Carthy MBE is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon and later artists such as Richard Thompson since he emerged as a young musician in the early days...
, Judy Collins
Judy Collins
Judith Marjorie "Judy" Collins is an American singer and songwriter, known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records ; and for her social activism. She is an alumna of the University of Colorado.-Musical career:Collins was born and raised in Seattle, Washington...
, John Cale
John Cale
John Davies Cale, OBE is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground....
, The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
and The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
also recorded here.
Famous residents
Charles KingsleyCharles Kingsley
Charles Kingsley was an English priest of the Church of England, university professor, historian and novelist, particularly associated with the West Country and northeast Hampshire.-Life and character:...
lived at 56 Old Church Street. Close to the junction of Old Church Street and Mallord Street, at 28 Mallord Street is a house designed in 1913–14 for Augustus John
Augustus John
Augustus Edwin John OM, RA, was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher. For a short time around 1910, he was an important exponent of Post-Impressionism in the United Kingdom....
. At 13 Mallord Street, A. A. Milne
A. A. Milne
Alan Alexander Milne was an English author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and for various children's poems. Milne was a noted writer, primarily as a playwright, before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work.-Biography:A. A...
lived. Just yards away is 127 Old Church Street. A plaque marks this house as the residence of William
William De Morgan
William Frend De Morgan was an English potter and tile designer. A lifelong friend of William Morris, he designed tiles, stained glass and furniture for Morris & Co. from 1863 to 1872. His tiles are often based on medieval designs or Persian patterns, and he experimented with innovative glazes and...
and Evelyn De Morgan
Evelyn De Morgan
Evelyn De Morgan was an English Pre-Raphaelite painter.She was born Evelyn Pickering. Her parents were of upper middle class. Her father was Percival Pickering QC, the Recorder of Pontefract...
. The building was especially adapted for them so that they could create and paint ceramics. The notable shoe designer Manolo Blahnik
Manolo Blahnik
Manuel "Manolo" Blahnik Rodríguez CBE, , is a Spanish fashion designer and founder of the self-named, high-end shoe brand.-Biography:Born to a Czech father and a Spanish mother and born and raised in the Canary Islands , Blahnik graduated from the University of Geneva in 1965 and studied art in Paris...
(b 1942) sold his shoes to “Zapata” a boutique on Old Church Street. The Chelsea Arts Club
Chelsea Arts Club
The Chelsea Arts Club is a private members club located in London with a membership of over 2,400, including artists, poets, architects, writers, dancers, actors, musicians, photographers, and filmmakers...
is at number 143. The sporting painter John F Sartorius (c. 1775–1830) has a plaque marking his house at number 155. In 1792 there was a field called “Queen’s Elm Field” at the northern end of the street. Several houses were built there in 1794. On the corner of Old Church Street and Fulham Road is a building called “The Queen’s Elm”. It was once a pub but is now a fashion shop. Directly opposite is a Jewish burial ground. It was in use from 1815 to 1884 by the Western Synagogue, now called the Western Marble Arch Synagogue. The southern side of Fulham Road at this point is called Queen’s Elm Parade.
Steve Clark
Steve Clark
Stephen Maynard Clark was an English musician, co-lead guitarist for the British hard rock band Def Leppard up until his death in 1991 due to a combination of alcohol and multiple prescription drugs...
, former guitarist for Def Leppard
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...
lived and died in his home at 44 Old Church.
Artisans
Charles Shapley (Chapley) "... coal merchant and lighterman..." (c. 1710 – 1780)Charles Shapley was bound apprentice lighterman to Thomas Rowles on 13. Jan 1726 , at Christ Church (Blackfriars, Southwark). He gained his freedom as "Freeman of the River Thames" after 7 years on 14. Feb 1733. http://www.trueflaregenealogy.co.uk/. In his will made 19 August 1779 (Public Record Office ref. - PROB 11/1069 - http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?queryType=1&resultcount=1&Edoc_Id=392579) Charles Shapley (Chapley) "... coal merchant and lighterman ..." , http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/James_Abbot_McNeill_Whistler_006.jpg, gave his residence as his "freehold house" in Church Lane, Chelsea http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=74658 . He bequeathed two freehold houses in Church Lane and another two freehold houses around the corner in Lombard Street http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=74664 which was formerly that part of Cheyne Walk
Cheyne Walk
Cheyne Walk , is a historic street in Chelsea, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It takes its name from William Lord Cheyne who owned the manor of Chelsea until 1712. Most of the houses were built in the early 18th century. Before the construction in the 19th century of the busy...
lying between No. 67 and the entrance to Danvers Street . Charles Shapley made provision for his interment in Chelsea Old Church http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=99955 north side where he had caused a stone to be raised ("All Saints" 1788 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/image.aspx?compid=74661&filename=figure0756-004.gif&pubid=756 showing Arch House http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=74663. Lombard Street was through the arch). In the year 2000, the Museum of London Archaeological Services carried out an archaeological dig at the cemetery http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/Collections-Research/LAARC/Centre-for-Human-Bioarchaeology/Database/Post-medieval+cemeteries/Chelsea.htm . One of the few graves identified was that of "Charles Shapley (70 years)"http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/download/chb/images/ocu00/full/OCU00_525_7.jpg. His coffin was fitted with a large decorated lead plate bearing the inscription "Mr Charles Shapley Died 16 Sept 1780 Aged 70". The plate is archived by the Museum of London Archaeological Services.
