Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, is one of the world’s greatest churches.

Westminster Abbey with a procession of Knights of the Bath (1749)
Credit: Canaletto

According to a tradition first reported by Sulcard in about 1080, a church was founded at the site, then known as Thorn Ey (Thorn Island), in the 7th century, at the time of Mellitus (d. 624), a Bishop of London. The island was a marshy retreat from the City of London, flanked by two channels of the Tyburn River, which flowed where Downing Street and Great College Street now run. Construction of the present church was begun in 1245, on the orders of Henry III.

It is a designated World Heritage Site and ‘Royal Peculiar’, which means the Dean is directly answerable to the monarch. The coronation of Kings and Queens has taken place here since 1066, and many of the nation’s Kings and Queens are buried in the Abbey. Principal among them is St Edward the Confessor, King of England from 1042 to 1066, whose shrine is at the heart of the Abbey. The Abbey has hosted many royal weddings.

Apart from the royal graves, there are many famous commoners interred here, especially in Poets’ Corner, where you’ll find the resting places of Chaucer, Dickens, Hardy, Tennyson, Dr Johnson and Kipling as well as memorials to the other greats (Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Brontë etc). Nearby are the graves of Handel and Sir Isaac Newton.

The octagonal Chapter House dates from the 1250s and was where the monks would meet for daily prayer before Henry VIII’s suppression of the monasteries some three centuries later. Used as a treasury and ’Royal Wardrobe’, the cryptlike Pyx Chamber dates from about 1070. The neighbouring Abbey Museum has as its centrepiece the death masks of generations of royalty.

In the Abbey precincts lies St Margaret’s Church (the Church of the House of Commons), the Great and Little Cloisters, the Chapter House and Museum, and College Garden, the oldest garden in England. The Abbey Library and Muniments Room offer research facilities by appointment. Also here are Westminster School, strongly associated with the Abbey, and Westminster Abbey Choir School, which educates the Abbey’s choristers.

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CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LOCALITY

The Underground Map Whitehall, SW1A Added: 8 Dec 2020 00:24 GMT	Othello takes a bow On 1 November 1604, William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello was presented for the first time, at The Palace of Whitehall. The palace was the main residence of the English monarchs in London from 1530 until 1698. Seven years to the day, Shakespeare’s romantic comedy The Tempest was also presented for the first time, and also at the Palace of Whitehall. Reply
Linda Webb Hungerford Stairs Added: 27 Sep 2021 05:51 GMT	Hungerford Stairs In 1794 my ancestor, George Webb, Clay Pipe Maker, lived in Hungerford Stairs, Strand. Source: Wakefields Merchant & Tradesmens General Directory London Westminster 1794 Source: Hungerford Stairs Reply
TUM The Underground Map Added: 27 Aug 2022 10:22 GMT	The Underground Map Michael Faraday successfully demonstrated the first electrical transformer at the Royal Institute, London. Reply
Roy Batham Covent Garden Added: 7 Jan 2022 07:17 GMT	Smithy in Longacre John Burris 1802-1848 Listed 1841 census as Burroughs was a blacksmith, address just given as Longacre. Source: Batham/Wiseman - Family Tree Reply
Scott Hatton Blackmoor Street, WC2B Added: 11 Sep 2020 19:47 GMT	Millions Of Rats In Busy London The Daily Mail on 14 April 1903 reported "MILLIONS OF RATS IN BUSY LONDON" A rat plague, unprecedented in the annals of London, has broken out on the north side of the Strand. The streets principally infested are Catherine street, Drury lane, Blackmore street, Clare Market and Russell street. Something akin to a reign of terror prevails among the inhabitants after nightfall. Women refuse to pass along Blackmore street and the lower parts of Stanhope street after dusk, for droves of rats perambulate the roadways and pavements, and may be seen running along the window ledges of the empty houses awaiting demolition by the County Council in the Strand to Holborn improvement scheme. The rats, indeed, have appeared in almost-incredible numbers. "There are millions of them," said one shopkeeper, and his statement was supported by other residents. The unwelcome visitors have been evicted from their old haunts by the County Council housebreakers, and are now busily in search of new homes. The Gaiety Restaurant has been the greatest sufferer. Rats have invaded the premises in such force that the managers have had to close the large dining room on the first floor and the grill rooms on the ground floor and in the basement. Those three spacious halls which have witnessed many as semblages of theatre-goers are now qui:e deserted. Behind the wainscot of the bandstand in the grillroom is a large mound of linen shreds. This represents 1728 serviettes carried theee by the rats. In the bar the removal of a panel disclosed the astonishing fact that the rats have dragged for a distance of seven or eight yards some thirty or forty beer and wine bottles and stacked them in such a fashion as to make comfortable sleeping places. Mr Williams. the manager of the restaurant, estimates that the rats have destroyed L200 worth of linen. Formerly the Gaiety Restaurant dined 2000 persons daily; no business whatever is now done in this direction. Reply
Bruce McTavish Lambeth North Added: 11 Mar 2021 11:37 GMT	Kennington Road Lambeth North station was opened as Kennington Road and then Westminster Bridge Road before settling on its final name. It has a wonderful Leslie Green design. Reply
Scott Hatton Savile Row, W1S Added: 30 Jan 2023 11:28 GMT	The Beatles on a London rooftop The Beatles’ rooftop concert took place on the rooftop of the Apple Corps building in London. It was their final public performance as a band and was unannounced, attracting a crowd of onlookers. The concert lasted for 42 minutes and included nine songs. The concert is remembered as a seminal moment in the history of rock music and remains one of the most famous rock performances of all time. Reply
Jessie Doring Tisbury Court, W1D Added: 22 Feb 2021 04:33 GMT	Tisbury Court Jazz Bar Jazz Bar opened in Tisbury Court by 2 Australians. Situated in underground basement. Can not remember how long it opened for. Reply
Brian J MacIntyre Dolphin Square Added: 8 Jan 2023 17:27 GMT	Malcolm Davey at Raleigh House, Dolphin Square My former partner, actor Malcolm Davey, lived at Raleigh House, Dolphin Square, for many years until his death. He was a wonderful human being and an even better friend. A somewhat underrated actor, but loved by many, including myself. I miss you terribly, Malcolm. Here’s to you and to History, our favourite subject. Love Always - Brian J MacIntyre Minnesota, USA Reply
Pauline jones Bessborough Place, SW1V Added: 16 Oct 2017 19:04 GMT	Bessborough Place, SW1V I grew up in bessborough place at the back of our house and Grosvenor road and bessborough gardens was a fantastic playground called trinity mews it had a paddling pool sandpit football area and various things to climb on, such as a train , slide also as Wendy house. There were plants surrounding this wonderful play area, two playground attendants ,also a shelter for when it rained. The children were constantly told off by the playground keepers for touching the plants or kicking the ball out of the permitted area, there was hopscotch as well, all these play items were brick apart from the slide. Pollock was the centre of my universe and I felt sorry and still do for anyone not being born there. To this day I miss it and constantly look for images of the streets around there, my sister and me often go back to take a clumped of our beloved London. The stucco houses were a feature and the backs of the houses enabled parents to see thier children playing. Reply
Robert smitherman Saunders Street, SE11 Added: 23 Aug 2017 11:01 GMT	Saunders Street, SE11 I was born in a prefab on Saunders street SE11 in the 60’s, when I lived there, the road consisted of a few prefab houses, the road originally ran from Lollard street all the way thru to Fitzalan street. I went back there to have a look back in the early 90’s but all that is left of the road is about 20m of road and the road sign. Reply
Richard Roques Hungerford Stairs Added: 21 Jan 2021 16:53 GMT	Buckingham Street residents Here in Buckingham Street lived Samuel Pepys the diarist, Charles Dickens and Rudyard Kipling Reply
Jude Allen Orange Street, WC2H Added: 29 Jul 2021 07:53 GMT	Bra top I jave a jewelled item of clothong worn by a revie girl. It is red with diamante straps. Inside it jas a label Bermans Revue 16 Orange Street but I cannot find any info online about the revue only that 16 Orange Street used to be a theatre. Does any one know about the revue. I would be intesrested to imagine the wearer of the article and her London life. Reply
sam Burdett Street, SE1 Added: 31 Dec 2021 00:54 GMT	Burdett Street, SE1 I was on 2nd July 1952, in Burdett chambers (which is also known as Burdett buildings)on Burdett street Reply

LATEST LONDON-WIDE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROJECT

Christine D Elliott Blockhouse Street, SE15 Added: 20 Mar 2023 15:52 GMT	The Blute Family My grandparents, Frederick William Blute & Alice Elizabeth Blute nee: Warnham lived at 89 Blockhouse Street Deptford from around 1917.They had six children. 1. Alice Maragret Blute (my mother) 2. Frederick William Blute 3. Charles Adrian Blute 4. Violet Lillian Blute 5. Donald Blute 6. Stanley Vincent Blute (Lived 15 months). I lived there with my family from 1954 (Birth) until 1965 when we were re-housed for regeneration to the area. I attended Ilderton Road School. Very happy memories of that time. Reply
Pearl Foster Dukes Place, EC3A Added: 20 Mar 2023 12:22 GMT	Dukes Place, EC3A Until his death in 1767, Daniel Nunes de Lara worked from his home in Dukes Street as a Pastry Cook. It was not until much later the street was renamed Dukes Place. Daniel and his family attended the nearby Bevis Marks synagogue for Sephardic Jews. The Ashkenazi Great Synagogue was established in Duke Street, which meant Daniel’s business perfectly situated for his occupation as it allowed him to cater for both congregations. Reply
Dr Paul Flewers Hawthorne Close, N1 Added: 9 Mar 2023 18:12 GMT	Some Brief Notes on Hawthorne Close / Hawthorne Street My great-grandparents lived in the last house on the south side of Hawthorne Street, no 13, and my grandmother Alice Knopp and her brothers and sisters grew up there. Alice Knopp married Charles Flewers, from nearby Hayling Road, and moved to Richmond, Surrey, where I was born. Leonard Knopp married Esther Gutenberg and lived there until the street was demolished in the mid-1960s, moving on to Tottenham. Uncle Len worked in the fur trade, then ran a pet shop in, I think, the Kingsland Road. From the back garden, one could see the almshouses in the Balls Pond Road. There was an ink factory at the end of the street, which I recall as rather malodorous. Reply
KJH Andover Road, N7 Added: 7 Mar 2023 17:14 GMT	Andover Road, N7 (1939 - 1957) My aunt, Doris nee Curtis (aka Jo) and her husband John Hawkins (aka Jack) ran a small general stores at 92 Andover Road (N7). I have found details in the 1939 register but don’t know how long before that it was opened.He died in 1957. In the 1939 register he is noted as being an ARP warden for Islington warden Reply
The Queens Head Added: 2 Mar 2023 13:50 GMT	The Queens Head Queens Head demolished and a NISA supermarket and flats built in its place. Reply
Mike Elia Street, N1 Added: 28 Feb 2023 18:09 GMT	6 Elia Street When I was young I lived in 6 Elia Street. At the end of the garden there was a garage owned by Initial Laundries which ran from an access in Quick Street all the way up to the back of our garden. The fire exit to the garage was a window leading into our garden. 6 Elia Street was owned by Initial Laundry. Reply
Fumblina Whitfield Street, W1T Added: 21 Feb 2023 11:39 GMT	Error on 1800 map numbering for John Street The 1800 map of Whitfield Street (17 zoom) has an error in the numbering shown on the map. The houses are numbered up the right hand side of John Street and Upper John Street to #47 and then are numbered down the left hand side until #81 BUT then continue from 52-61 instead of 82-91. Reply
P Cash Woburn Place, WC1H Added: 19 Feb 2023 08:03 GMT	Occupants of 19-29 Woburn Place The Industrial Tribunals (later changed to Employment Tribunals) moved (from its former location on Ebury Bridge Road to 19-29 Woburn Place sometime in the late 1980s (I believe). 19-29 Woburn Place had nine floors in total (one in the basement and two in its mansard roof and most of the building was occupied by the Tribunals The ’Head Office’ of the tribunals, occupied space on the 7th, 6th and 2nd floors, whilst one of the largest of the regional offices (London North but later called London Central) occupied space in the basement, ground and first floor. The expansive ground floor entrance had white marble flooring and a security desk. Behind (on evey floor) lay a square (& uncluttered) lobby space, which was flanked on either side by lifts. On the rear side was an elegant staircase, with white marble steps, brass inlays and a shiny brass handrail which spiralled around an open well. Both staircase, stairwell and lifts ran the full height of the building. On all floors from 1st upwards, staff toilets were tucked on either side of the staircase (behind the lifts). Basement Floor - Tribunal hearing rooms, dormant files store and secure basement space for Head Office. Public toilets. Geound Floor - The ’post’ roon sat next to the entrance in the northern side, the rest of which was occupied by the private offices of the full time Tribunal judiciary. Thw largest office belonged to the Regional Chair and was situated on the far corner (overlooking Tavistock Square) The secretary to the Regional Chair occupied a small office next door. The south side of this floor was occupied by the large open plan General Office for the administration, a staff kitchen & rest room and the private offices of the Regional Secretary (office manager) and their deputy. First Dloor - Tribunal hearing rooms; separate public waiting rooms for Applicants & Respondents; two small rooms used by Counsel (on a ’whoever arrives first’ bases) and a small private rest room for use by tribunal lay members. Second Floor - Tribunal Hearing Rooms; Tribunal Head Office - HR & Estate Depts & other tennants. Third Floor - other tennants Fourth Floor - other tennants Fifth Floor - Other Tennants except for a large non-smoking room for staff, (which overlooked Tavistock Sqaure). It was seldom used, as a result of lacking any facities aside from a meagre collection of unwanted’ tatty seating. Next to it, (overlooking Tavistock Place) was a staff canteen. Sixth Floor - Other tennants mostly except for a few offices on the northern side occupied by tribunal Head Office - IT Dept. Seventh Floor - Other tenants in the northern side. The southern (front) side held the private offices of several senior managers (Secretariat, IT & Finance), private office of the Chief Accuntant; an office for two private secretaries and a stationary cupboard. On the rear side was a small kitchen; the private office of the Chief Executive and the private office of the President of the Tribunals for England & Wales. (From 1995 onwards, this became a conference room as the President was based elsewhere. The far end of this side contained an open plan office for Head Office staff - Secretariat, Finance & HR (staff training team) depts. Eighth Floor - other tennants. The Employment Tribunals (Regional & Head Offices) relocated to Vitory House, Kingsway in April 2005. Reply

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NEARBY LOCATIONS OF NOTE

Westminster Westminster - heart of government.

Westminster

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, is one of the world’s greatest churches.

Westminster Abbey

NEARBY STREETS

Abbey Orchard Street, SW1P Abbey Orchard Street was the heart of a former slum area.

Abbey Orchard Street, SW1P

Abingdon Street, SW1P Abingdon Street has linked Old Palace Yard and Millbank since at least 1593.

Abingdon Street, SW1P

Artillery House, SW1P Artillery House is a block on Artillery Row.

Artillery House, SW1P

Artillery Place, SW1P Artillery Place was named after a former nearby artillery practice ground which stood here in the 19th century.

Artillery Place, SW1P

Asquith House, SW1P Asquith House is a block on Monck Street.

Asquith House, SW1P

Barton Street, SW1P Barton Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area.

Barton Street, SW1P

Bennett’s Yard, SW1P Bennett’s Yard is a road in the SW1P postcode area

Bennett’s Yard, SW1P

Birdcage Walk, SW1H Birdcage Walk runs east from Great George Street, along the south side of St James’s Park.

Birdcage Walk, SW1H

Blue Bridge, SW1A Blue Bridge crosses St James’s Park lake.

Blue Bridge, SW1A

Bridge Street, SW1A Bridge Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1A postal area.

Bridge Street, SW1A

Broad Sanctuary, SW1P Broad Sanctuary is a road in the SW1H postcode area

Broad Sanctuary, SW1P

Broadway, SW1H Broadway - formerly the location of the headquarters of both London Transport and the Metropolitan Police.

Broadway, SW1H

Butler Place, SW1H Butler Place is one of the streets of London in the SW1H postal area.

Butler Place, SW1H

Canon Row, SW1A Canon Row is at least one thousand year’s old.

Canon Row, SW1A

Carteret Street, SW1H Carteret Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1H postal area.

Carteret Street, SW1H

Caxton House, SW1H Caxton House is a block on Tothill Street.

Caxton House, SW1H

Caxton Street, SW1H William Caxton was responsible for the introduction of the printing press to England.

Caxton Street, SW1H

Central Buildings, SW1P Central Buildings is a block on Matthew Parker Street.

Central Buildings, SW1P

Chadwick Street, SW1P Chadwick Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area.

Chadwick Street, SW1P

Chubb Court, SW1P Chubb Court is a road in the SW20 postcode area

Chubb Court, SW1P

Church House, SW1P Church House is a block on Great Smith Street.

Church House, SW1P

Clutha House, SW1P Clutha House is a block on Storey’s Gate.

Clutha House, SW1P

Cockpit Steps, SW1H Cockpit Steps leads from Birdcage Walk to Old Queen Street.

Cockpit Steps, SW1H

Commissioner’s Yard, SW1A Commissioner’s Yard is a small street behind New Scotland Yard.

Commissioner’s Yard, SW1A

Cowley Street, SW1P Cowley Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area.

Cowley Street, SW1P

Curtis Green Building, SW1A Curtis Green Building can be found on Victoria Embankment.

Curtis Green Building, SW1A

Dacre House, SW1H Dacre House is a block on Dacre Street.

Dacre House, SW1H

Dacre Street, SW1H Dacre Street is named after Lady Anne Dacre.

Dacre Street, SW1H

Dartmouth Street, SW1H Dartmouth Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1H postal area.

Dartmouth Street, SW1H

Dean Farrar Street, SW1H Frederic William Farrar was a canon of Westminster Abbey.

Dean Farrar Street, SW1H

Dean Stanley Street, SW1P Dean Stanley Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area.

Dean Stanley Street, SW1P

Dean Trench Street, SW1P Dean Trench Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area.

Dean Trench Street, SW1P

Deans Yard, SW1P Dean’s Yard comprises most of the precincts of the former monastery of Westminster, not occupied by the Abbey buildings.

Deans Yard, SW1P

Derby Gate, SW1A Derby Gate is one of the streets of London in the SW1A postal area.

Derby Gate, SW1A

Downing Street, SW1A Downing Street has been the home of British Prime Minsters since the eighteenth century.

Downing Street, SW1A

Eglise House, SW1 Eglise House is a block on Little Smith Street.

Eglise House, SW1

Elizabeth Court, SW1P Elizabeth Court is a block on Elizabeth Court.

Elizabeth Court, SW1P

Fielden House, SW1P Fielden House is a block on Little College Street.

Fielden House, SW1P

Fludyer Street, SW1A Fludyer Street used to be a street which lay parallel to, and south of, Downing Street.

Fludyer Street, SW1A

Gayfere Street, SW1P Gayfere Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area.

Gayfere Street, SW1P

Great College Street, SW1P Great College Street borders the south side of Westminster School.

Great College Street, SW1P

Great George Street, SW1P Great George Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area.

Great George Street, SW1P

Great Peter Street, SW1P Great Peter Street bears the name of the patron saint of Westminster Abbey.

Great Peter Street, SW1P

Great Smith Street, SW1P Great Smith Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area.

Great Smith Street, SW1P

Greycoat Gardens, SW1P Greycoat Gardens is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area.

Greycoat Gardens, SW1P

Greycoat Place, SW1P Greycoat Place is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area.

Greycoat Place, SW1P

Greycoat Street, SW1P Greycoat Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area.

Greycoat Street, SW1P

Greycote Place, SW1P Greycote Place is a location in London.

Greycote Place, SW1P

Horse Guards Road, SW1A Horse Guards Road runs along the eastern edge of St James’s Park.

Horse Guards Road, SW1A

King Charles Street, SW1A King Charles Street is a street of government buildings, one block south of Downing Street.

King Charles Street, SW1A

King Street, SW1A King Street was an ancient thoroughfare between the regions of the Court and the Abbey in Westminster.

King Street, SW1A

Lesley Court, SW1P Lesley Court is a building on Strutton Ground.

Lesley Court, SW1P

Lewisham Street, SW1H Lewisham Street is a Westminster alleyway.

Lewisham Street, SW1H

Little College Street, SW1P Little College Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area.

Little College Street, SW1P

Little Deans Yard, SW1P Little Deans Yard is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area.

Little Deans Yard, SW1P

Little George Street, SW1P Little George Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area.

Little George Street, SW1P

Lord North Street, SW1P Lord North Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area.

Lord North Street, SW1P

Matthew Parker Street, SW1H The Most Reverend Matthew Parker was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1559 until 1575.

Matthew Parker Street, SW1H

Millbank House, SW1P Millbank House is a block on Millbank.

Millbank House, SW1P

Monck Street, SW1P Monck Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area.

Monck Street, SW1P

Mulberry House, SW1P Mulberry House can be found on Dean Trench Street.

Mulberry House, SW1P

Municipal Insurance House, SW1H Municipal Insurance House can be found on Old Queen Street.

Municipal Insurance House, SW1H

New Palace Yard, SW1P New Palace Yard was built by William II (William Rufus).

New Palace Yard, SW1P

NIOC House, SW1H NIOC House is a block on Victoria Street.

NIOC House, SW1H

Nobel House, SW1P Nobel House is sited on Smith Square.

Nobel House, SW1P

North Court, SW1 North Court is a block on Great Peter Street.

North Court, SW1

North Court, SW1P North Court is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area.

North Court, SW1P

Norton House, SW1P Norton House is a block on Arneway Street.

Norton House, SW1P

Octavia House, SW1P Octavia House is a block on Medway Street.

Octavia House, SW1P

Old Pye House, SW1P Old Pye House is a block on St Ann’s Street.

Old Pye House, SW1P

Old Pye Street, SW1P Old Pye Street gets its name from Sir Robert Pye, member of parliament for Westminster in the time of Charles I.

Old Pye Street, SW1P

Old Queen Street, SW1H Old Queen Street is parallel to Birdcage Walk.

Old Queen Street, SW1H

Ormond House, SW1P Ormond House is sited on Arneway Street.

Ormond House, SW1P

Palmer Street, SW1H Palmer Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1H postal area.

Palmer Street, SW1H

Parker Street, SW1H Before being renamed to Matthew Parker Street, old Parker Street was a Westminster slum.

Parker Street, SW1H

Parliament Square, SW1A Parliament Square is one of the most important squares in Westminster, home to the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey.

Parliament Square, SW1A

Parliament Street, SW1A Parliament Street is the name of the southernmost stretch of Whitehall as it meets Parliament Square.

Parliament Street, SW1A

Pelham House, SW1P Pelham House is sited on Monck Street.

Pelham House, SW1P

Portcullis House, SW1A Portcullis House is a building on Bridge Street.

Portcullis House, SW1A

Post Office Way, SW1H Post Office Way is a road in the SW1P postcode area

Post Office Way, SW1H

Price’s Court, SW1P A street within the SW1P postcode

Price’s Court, SW1P

Prideux Building, SE1 Prideux Building is a block on Westminster Bridge Road.

Prideux Building, SE1

Queen Anne’s House, SW1H Queen Anne’s House is a block on Queen Anne’s Gate.

Queen Anne’s House, SW1H

Queen Annes Gate Buildings, SW1H Queen Annes Gate Buildings is one of the streets of London in the SW1H postal area.

Queen Annes Gate Buildings, SW1H

Queen Anne’s Gate, SW1H Queen Anne’s Gate runs parallel to Birdcage Walk.

Queen Anne’s Gate, SW1H

Richmond House Whitehall, SW1A Richmond House Whitehall is one of the streets of London in the SW1A postal area.

Richmond House Whitehall, SW1A

Richmond House, SW1A Richmond House is a block on Whitehall.

Richmond House, SW1A

Richmond Terrace Mews, SW1A Richmond Terrace Mews originally led to New Scotland Yard.

Richmond Terrace Mews, SW1A

Richmond Terrace, SW1A Richmond Terrace is on the site of Richmond House, destroyed by a fire on 21 December 1791.

Richmond Terrace, SW1A

Ridley House, SW1P Ridley House is a block on Monck Street.

Ridley House, SW1P

Smith Square, SW1P Smith Square was originally developed by Sir James Smith around 1726.

Smith Square, SW1P

St Anns Street, SW1P St Anns Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area.

St Anns Street, SW1P

St Ermin’s Hill, SW1H St Ermin’s Hill is a small side street off Broadway.

St Ermin’s Hill, SW1H

St Matthew Street, SW1P St Matthew Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area.

St Matthew Street, SW1P

St. Margaret Street, SW1P St Margaret Street is the road immediately outside Westminster Hall.

St. Margaret Street, SW1P

St. Matthew Street, SW1P St. Matthew Street is a road in the SW1P postcode area

St. Matthew Street, SW1P

Storey’s Gate, SW1H Abraham Storey, one of Wren’s master-masons, built Storey’s Gate that now commemorates his name.

Storey’s Gate, SW1H

Strutton Court, SW1P Strutton Court is a block on Strutton Ground.

Strutton Court, SW1P

Strutton Ground, SW1P Strutton Ground is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area.

Strutton Ground, SW1P

The Queen’s Steps, SE1 The Queen’s Steps is a road in the SE1 postcode area

The Queen’s Steps, SE1

The Queen’s Walk, SE1 This is a street in the SE1 postcode area

The Queen’s Walk, SE1

The Queen’s Walk, SE1 The Queen’s Walk is a road in the SE1 postcode area

The Queen’s Walk, SE1

The Sanctuary, SW1P The Sanctuary is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area.

The Sanctuary, SW1P

The Terrace, SW1P The Terrace is a road in the SW1P postcode area

The Terrace, SW1P

Tothill Street, SW1H Tothill Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1H postal area.

Tothill Street, SW1H

Transport House, SW1P Transport House can be found on Dean Bradley Street.

Transport House, SW1P

Tufton Court, SW1 Tufton Court can be found on Tufton Street.

Tufton Court, SW1

Tufton Street, SW1P Tufton Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area.

Tufton Street, SW1P

Victoria Street, SW1P Victoria Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1H postal area.

Victoria Street, SW1P

Westminster Bridge, SE1 Westminster Bridge links Westminster on the west side with Lambeth on the east side.

Westminster Bridge, SE1

Westminster Central Hall, SW1H Westminster Central Hall is one of the streets of London in the SW1H postal area.

Westminster Central Hall, SW1H

Westminster House, SW1P Westminster House is sited on Millbank.

Westminster House, SW1P

Westminster Mansions, SW1P Westminster Mansions is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area.

Westminster Mansions, SW1P

Westminster Palace Gardens, SW1P Westminster Palace Gardens is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area.

Westminster Palace Gardens, SW1P

Westminster Pier, SW1A Westminster Pier is one of the streets of London in the SW1A postal area.

Westminster Pier, SW1A

Windsor House, SW1H Windsor House is a block on Victoria Street.

Windsor House, SW1H

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Westminster

Westminster - heart of government.

While the underground station dates from 1868, Westminster itself is almost as old as London itself. It has a large concentration of London’s historic and prestigious landmarks and visitor attractions, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral.

Historically part of the parish of St Margaret in the City and Liberty of Westminster and the county of Middlesex, the name Westminster was the ancient description for the area around Westminster Abbey – the West Minster, or monastery church, that gave the area its name – which has been the seat of the government of England (and later the British government) for almost a thousand years.

Westminster is the location of the Palace of Westminster, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which houses the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

The area has been the seat of the government of England for almost a thousand years. Westminster is thus often used as a metonym for Parliament and the political community of the United Kingdom generally. The civil service is similarly referred to by the area it inhabits, Whitehall, and Westminster is consequently also used in reference to the ’Westminster System’, the parliamentary model of democratic government that has evolved in the United Kingdom.

The historic core of Westminster is the former Thorney Island on which Westminster Abbey was built. The Abbey became the traditional venue of the coronation of the kings and queens of England. The nearby Palace of Westminster came to be the principal royal residence after the Norman conquest of England in 1066, and later housed the developing Parliament and law courts of England. It can be said that London thus has developed two distinct focal points: an economic one in the City of London; and a political and cultural one in Westminster, where the Royal Court had its home. This division is still very apparent today.

The monarchy later moved to the Palace of Whitehall a little towards the north-east. The law courts have since moved to the Royal Courts of Justice, close to the border of the City of London.

The Westminster area formed part of the City and Liberty of Westminster and the county of Middlesex. The ancient parish was St Margaret; after 1727 split into the parishes of St Margaret and St John. The area around Westminster Abbey formed the extra-parochial Close of the Collegiate Church of St Peter surrounded by—but not part of—either parish. Until 1900 the local authority was the combined vestry of St Margaret and St John (also known as the Westminster District Board of Works from 1855 to 1887), which was based at Westminster City Hall on Caxton Street from 1883. The Liberty of Westminster, governed by the Westminster Court of Burgesses, also included St Martin in the Fields and several other parishes and places. Westminster had its own quarter sessions, but the Middlesex sessions also had jurisdiction. The area was transferred from Middlesex to the County of London in 1889 and the local government of Westminster was reformed in 1900 when the court of burgesses and parish vestries were abolished, to be replaced with a metropolitan borough council. The council was given city status, allowing it to be known as Westminster City Council.

The underground station was opened as Westminster Bridge on 24 December 1868 by the steam-operated Metropolitan District Railway (MDR) (now the District line) when the railway opened the first section of its line from South Kensington. It was originally the eastern terminus of the MDR and the station cutting ended at a concrete wall buffered by timber sleepers. The approach to the station from the west runs in cut and cover tunnel under the roadway of Broad Sanctuary and diagonally under Parliament Square. In Broad Sanctuary the tunnel is close to Westminster Abbey and St Margaret’s church and care was required to avoid undermining their foundations when excavating in the poor ground found there.

The station was completely rebuilt to incorporate new deep-level platforms for the Jubilee line when it was extended to the London Docklands in the 1990s. During the works, the level of the sub-surface platforms was lowered to enable ground level access to Portcullis House. This was achieved in small increments carried out when the line was closed at night.

LOCAL PHOTOS

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William Shakespeare TUM image id: 1509551019 Licence: CC BY 2.0	Overflow of the Thames at Lambeth Stairs on Tuesday 29 January 1850. Lambeth Stairs was near to Lambeth Palace. Poor river wall maintenance meant that the area was flooded whenever there was an unusually high tide. Credit: Illustrated London News TUM image id: 1623706174 Licence:	Trafalgar Square was a former station on the Bakerloo Line before it combined with Strand station on the Northern Line to become the new Charing Cross underground station. Credit: The Underground Map TUM image id: 1624972963 Licence:	Strand stretches along the River Thames between Trafalgar Square and Aldwych Credit: The Underground Map TUM image id: 1625131830 Licence:	The Lillington Gardens estate Credit: Ewan Munro TUM image id: 1516208904 Licence: CC BY 2.0
Hungerford Stairs circa 1828 TUM image id: 1557403389 Licence: CC BY 2.0	Buses outside the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. Date of photo unknown Credit: Stockholm Transport Museum TUM image id: 1557142527 Licence:	The Sea Life London Aquarium is located on the ground floor of County Hall on the South Bank of the River Thames, near the London Eye. It opened in March 1997 as the London Aquarium and hosts about one million visitors each year. TUM image id: 1557161405 Licence: CC BY 2.0	Trafalgar Square (1905) The steeplejack firm of W. Larkins Co Ltd. are at work cleaning Nelson’s Column for the first time since it was erected in 1843. The firm had been founded by Willliam Larkins in 1897 and he is pictured at the top next to Lord Nelson. TUM image id: 1663086959 Licence: CC BY 2.0	The Strand frontage of Northumberland House (1752) The Percy Lion is atop the central façade and the statue of Charles I at right survives to this day The pedestrianised area in the foreground became the site of Trafalgar Square - back then it was the Royal Mews Credit: Giovanni Canaletto TUM image id: 1605613806 Licence:
The Adelphi Building on Savoy Place, looking north from Victoria Embankment Gardens (2018) Credit: Wiki Commons/Acabashi TUM image id: 1668084438 Licence: CC BY 2.0	The original, Brunel-built Hungerford Bridge. TUM image id: 1544479084 Licence: CC BY 2.0	London Library, 14 St James’s Square. The London Library is a self-supporting, independent institution. It is a registered charity whose sole aim is the advancement of education, learning and knowledge. The adjacent building (13 St James’s Square) is the High Commission of Cyprus. Credit: Wiki Commons/GrindtXX TUM image id: 1660307621 Licence: CC BY 2.0	Broadway SW1 TUM image id: 1530117235 Licence:	Statue of Charles I, Trafalgar Square. Cast 1633, by Hubert Le Sueur, the carved pedestal by Joshua Marshall was provided when the statue was erected here (on the site of the Eleanor Cross) in 1674-75. This highly influential equestrian statue, the first of its kind in England, was originally commissioned in 1630 by Charles I’s Lord Treasurer Sir Richard Weston for his house Mortlake Park, Roehampton. Credit: Flickr: L’habitant / Tony TUM image id: 1663085214 Licence: CC BY 2.0

In the neighbourhood...

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William Shakespeare
Licence: CC BY 2.0

Overflow of the Thames at Lambeth Stairs on Tuesday 29 January 1850. Lambeth Stairs was near to Lambeth Palace. Poor river wall maintenance meant that the area was flooded whenever there was an unusually high tide.
Credit: Illustrated London News
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The original, Brunel-built Hungerford Bridge.
Licence: CC BY 2.0

Broadway SW1
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Newspaper seller on Horse Guards Avenue (1937) From the archive of amateur London photographer, John Turner
Credit: John Turner/Museum of London
Licence: CC BY 2.0

Cockpit Steps in Westminster once led down to the Royal Cockpit - an 18th century cockfighting venue. The Royal Cockpit disappeared in 1810 but the stairs have remained.
Credit: GoArt/The Underground Map
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Whitehall, just before the 1953 Coronation. View northwards from Horse Guards Avenue towards Trafalgar Square. Decorations are already going up for the Queen’s Coronation six days later.
Credit: Ben Brooksbank
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Carlton House Terrace consists of a pair of terraces - white stucco-faced houses on the south side of the street overlooking St James’s Park
Credit: Wiki Commons
Licence: CC BY 2.0

Horse Guards
Credit: IG/gemmak500
Licence: CC BY 2.0

Parliament Square (1980) Parliament Square features a large open green area in the centre with trees to its west, and it contains twelve political statues of statesmen and other notable individuals.
Credit: Wiki Commons/Misterweiss
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