Wych Street
Encyclopedia
Wych Street was a street in London
, roughly where Australia House
now stands on Aldwych
. It ran west from the church of St Clement Danes
on the Strand
to a point towards the southern end of Drury Lane
. The street was demolished by the London County Council
in around 1901, as part of the redevelopment that created the Kingsway
and Aldwych
.
, and contained decrepit Elizabethan houses, with projecting wooden jetties
. The Angel Inn public house was at the bottom of Wych Street, by the Strand
. To the west, about half way along on the north side, was the New Inn, an Inn of Chancery where Sir Thomas More
received his early legal education, and, to the south, Lyon's Inn
, another Inn of Chancery where Sir Edward Coke
was a reader in 1578, which was replaced by a Globe Theatre
and the Opera Comique
in c.1863.
At the western end was Drury House
, the house of Sir Robert Drury, from which Drury Lane took its name, later rebuilt as Craven House by Lord Craven
, and finally turned into a public house, the "Queen of Bohemia", named after Lord Craven's mistress, Elizabeth of Bohemia
, the daughter of James I
. This building was later demolished, and replaced by the first Olympic Theatre
.
Jack Sheppard
, the infamous thief, was apprenticed to a carpenter, Mr. Wood, on Wych Street; one of Sheppard's haunts, the White Lion tavern, was also on Wych Street. The music hall
performer Arthur Lloyd lived at 39 Wych Street in 1892.
Around 1780, the brothers George and John Jacob Astor
, who later became America's first multimillionaire, ran an instrument store in 26 Wych Street.
(1877–1928).
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...
, roughly where Australia House
Australia House
The High Commission of Australia in London is housed in Australia House, a building that also accommodates other Australian federal and state government agencies, including the Menzies Centre for Australian Studies, part of King's College London....
now stands on Aldwych
Aldwych
Aldwych is a place and road in the City of Westminster in London, England.-Description:Aldwych, the road, is a crescent, connected to the Strand at both ends. At its centre, it meets the Kingsway...
. It ran west from the church of St Clement Danes
St Clement Danes
St Clement Danes is a church in the City of Westminster, London. It is situated outside the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand. The current building was completed in 1682 by Sir Christopher Wren and it now functions as the central church of the Royal Air Force.The church is sometimes claimed to...
on the Strand
Strand, London
Strand is a street in the City of Westminster, London, England. The street is just over three-quarters of a mile long. It currently starts at Trafalgar Square and runs east to join Fleet Street at Temple Bar, which marks the boundary of the City of London at this point, though its historical length...
to a point towards the southern end of Drury Lane
Drury Lane
Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster....
. The street was demolished by the London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
in around 1901, as part of the redevelopment that created the Kingsway
Kingsway (London)
Kingsway is a major road in central London in the United Kingdom, designated as part of the A4200. It runs from High Holborn, at its north end in the London Borough of Camden, and meets Aldwych in the south in the City of Westminster at Bush House. It was built in the 1900s...
and Aldwych
Aldwych
Aldwych is a place and road in the City of Westminster in London, England.-Description:Aldwych, the road, is a crescent, connected to the Strand at both ends. At its centre, it meets the Kingsway...
.
History
The area around Drury Lane was not affected by the Great Fire of LondonGreat Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...
, and contained decrepit Elizabethan houses, with projecting wooden jetties
Jettying
Jettying is a building technique used in medieval timber frame buildings in which an upper floor projects beyond the dimensions of the floor below. This has the advantage of increasing the available space in the building without obstructing the street...
. The Angel Inn public house was at the bottom of Wych Street, by the Strand
Strand, London
Strand is a street in the City of Westminster, London, England. The street is just over three-quarters of a mile long. It currently starts at Trafalgar Square and runs east to join Fleet Street at Temple Bar, which marks the boundary of the City of London at this point, though its historical length...
. To the west, about half way along on the north side, was the New Inn, an Inn of Chancery where Sir Thomas More
Thomas More
Sir Thomas More , also known by Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was an important councillor to Henry VIII of England and, for three years toward the end of his life, Lord Chancellor...
received his early legal education, and, to the south, Lyon's Inn
Lyon's Inn
Lyon's Inn was one of the Inns of Chancery attached to Inner Temple. Founded some time during or before the reign of Henry V, the Inn educated lawyers including Edward Coke and John Selden, although it was never one of the larger Inns...
, another Inn of Chancery where Sir Edward Coke
Edward Coke
Sir Edward Coke SL PC was an English barrister, judge and politician considered to be the greatest jurist of the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. Born into a middle class family, Coke was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge before leaving to study at the Inner Temple, where he was called to the...
was a reader in 1578, which was replaced by a Globe Theatre
Globe Theatre (Newcastle Street)
The Globe was a Victorian theatre built in 1868 and demolished in 1902. It was the third of five London theatres to bear the name. It was also known at various times as the Royal Globe Theatre or Globe Theatre Royal. Its repertoire consisted mainly of comedies and musical shows...
and the Opera Comique
Opera Comique
The Opera Comique was a 19th-century theatre constructed in Westminster, London, between Wych Street and Holywell Street with entrances on the East Strand. It opened in 1870 and was demolished in 1902, to make way for the construction of the Aldwych and Kingsway...
in c.1863.
Drury House
Drury House was a historic building on Wych Street, London. It was the house of Sir Robert Drury, who Drury Lane was named after. It was a meeting place for Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex and his accomplices in 1601, when they were plotting against Elizabeth I.It was later rebuilt as Craven...
, the house of Sir Robert Drury, from which Drury Lane took its name, later rebuilt as Craven House by Lord Craven
William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven (1608-1697)
William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven, PC was an English nobleman and soldier.His father William Craven was born in a poor family in Appletreewick in North Yorkshire but moved to London, became wealthy, and was Lord Mayor of London in 1610.Craven fought for Frederick V on the Continent and fell in...
, and finally turned into a public house, the "Queen of Bohemia", named after Lord Craven's mistress, Elizabeth of Bohemia
Elizabeth of Bohemia
Elizabeth of Bohemia was the eldest daughter of King James VI and I, King of Scotland, England, Ireland, and Anne of Denmark. As the wife of Frederick V, Elector Palatine, she was Electress Palatine and briefly Queen of Bohemia...
, the daughter of James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
. This building was later demolished, and replaced by the first Olympic Theatre
Olympic Theatre
The Olympic Theatre, sometimes known as the Royal Olympic Theatre, was a 19th-century London theatre, opened in 1806 and located at the junction of Drury Lane, Wych Street, and Newcastle Street. The theatre specialised in comedies throughout much of its existence...
.
Jack Sheppard
Jack Sheppard
Jack Sheppard was a notorious English robber, burglar and thief of early 18th-century London. Born into a poor family, he was apprenticed as a carpenter but took to theft and burglary in 1723, with little more than a year of his training to complete...
, the infamous thief, was apprenticed to a carpenter, Mr. Wood, on Wych Street; one of Sheppard's haunts, the White Lion tavern, was also on Wych Street. The music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
performer Arthur Lloyd lived at 39 Wych Street in 1892.
Around 1780, the brothers George and John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor , born Johann Jakob Astor, was a German-American business magnate and investor who was the first prominent member of the Astor family and the first multi-millionaire in the United States...
, who later became America's first multimillionaire, ran an instrument store in 26 Wych Street.
In popular culture
Where Was Wych Street? is one of the best loved short stories by Stacy AumonierStacy Aumonier
Stacy Aumonier was a British writer, sometimes mistakenly credited as Stacey Aumonier. Between 1913 and 1928, he wrote more than 85 short stories, 6 novels, a volume of character studies, and a volume of 15 essays....
(1877–1928).
External links
- Where Was Wych Street? by Stacy Aumonier at Project Gutenberg.
- Old Houses In Wych Street, photographed by Henry Dixon in c.1881
- Wych Street, London, 1901
- "The Strand (northern tributaries): Clement's Inn, New Inn, Lyon's Inn etc.", Old and New London: Volume 3 (1878), pp. 32–5.
- Map