King Street, SW1A

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

Recruiting Sergeants (1877)

"The most prominent figure in the accompanying photograph, standing with his back to the Abbey, and nearest to the kerb stone, is that of Sergeant Ison, who is always looked upon with more than ordinary curiosity as the representative of the 6th Dragoon Guards, or Carbineers - a regiment which of late has been chiefly distinguished for having included in its ranks no less a person than Sir Roger Tichborne himself! To the right we have the representatives of two heavy regiments, Sergeant Titswell, of the 5th Dragoon Guards, and Sergeant Badcock, of the 2nd Dragoons, or Scots Greys; the latter is leaning against the corner of the public-house. Close to him may be recognized the features of Sergeant Bilton, of the Royal Engineers, while Sergeant Minett, of the 14th Hussars, turns his head towards Sergeant McGilney, of the 6th Dragoons, or Enniskillen, whose stalwart frame occupies the foreground. This group would not, however, have been complete without giving a glimpse at Mr. Cox, the policeman, to whose discretion and pacific interference may be attributed the order which is generally preserved even under the most trying circumstances at the Mitre and Dove."

From ’Street Life in London’ by John Thomson and Adolphe Smith
Credit: John Thomson and Adolphe Smith

King Street ran parallel to a more modern street - Parliament Street - the southern end of Whitehall at Parliament Square

At the north end of the street was the Cockpit Gate. This was at the corner of what is now Downing Street and what was then the southern side of Whitehall Palace. It had four domed towers; on the south side were pilasters and an entablature enriched with the double rose, the portcullis, and the royal arms. At the south end of King Street was the High Gate, which is shown in one of Hollar’s etchings. The latter, which was taken down in 1723, was occupied at one time by the Earl of Rochester. Part of the land in King Street was conveyed by the Abbot of Westminster to Henry VIII when the king was enlarging Whitehall. In a side street - Gardener’s Lane - Hollar died in 1677.

King Charles I travelled down King Street on the way from Whitehall Palace to his trial at Westminster. He went back by the same route as a condemned man.

Oliver Cromwell gave his mother a suite of apartments in King Street where she lived until her death in 1654. She was devoted to her son, and lived in constant fear of hearing of his assassination. It was written in Ludlow’s Memoirs that she was quite unhappy if she did not see him twice a day, and never heard the report of a gun without calling out, "My son is shot." The house occupied by Mrs Cromwell stood a little to the north of Blue Boar’s Head Yard, on the west side of the street.

Dudley, the second Lord North, had a house in this street about 1646, notable as being the first brick-built house on it.

Owing to its narrowness and the crowded courts by which it was hemmed in on either side, King Street was among the first parts of Westminster to suffer from the plague in 1665. On its appearance so close to the gates of the royal palace, Charles II left Whitehall for Oxford.

King Street was originally dangerously narrow. Pepys noted on 27 November 1660: "To Westminster Hall; and in King Street there being a great stop of coaches, there was a falling out between a drayman and my Lord of Chesterfield’s coachman, and one of his footmen killed."

King Street was at one time noted for its coffee houses as Izaak Walton noted in "The Compleat Angler" (1676).

The southern end of King Street with "The Mitre And Dove" public house (click image to enlarge)

At an inn in the street - the Bell Tavern - the October Club met. The club, which consisted of about 150 members, derived its name from being composed of High Church Tory country gentlemen, who when at home drank October ale. The large room in which the club assembled was adorned with a portrait of Queen Anne. After the break-up of the club, the picture was purchased by the corporation of the city of Salisbury, in whose council-chamber it may still be seen. Even in the mid-17th century the Bell tavern was regarded as an ancient establishment. The first known mention of the tavern occurs in 1465.

John Timbs states in his Curiosities of London: "near the southern end of King Street, on the west side, was Thieven (Thieves) Lane, so called as being the regular passage along which thieves were led to the Gate House prison, so that they might not escape into the Sanctuary and escape the law."

After the burning down of Whitehall Palace, it was decided to make a broader street to the Abbey, and in course of time Parliament Street was formed. King Street remained at this time though its length was considerably curtailed at the northern end by the later erection of the India and Foreign Offices.

In the nineteenth century, nearby at no.20 Duke Street, were the offices of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, Dr Bray’s Institution for Founding Libraries, the Colonial Bishoprics’ Fund, the Ladies’ Association for Promoting Female Education in India.

The Treasury Main Building was designed by John Brydon following a competition. Construction took place in two phases. The West end was completed in 1908 and the East end was completed in 1917. HM Treasury moved into the building in 1940 but its construction obliterated all traces of King Street.

Main source:	Old and New London \| British History Online
	Further citations and sources

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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
Richard Lake De Laune Street, SE17 Added: 28 Sep 2022 09:37 GMT	Trade Union Official John William Lake snr moved with his family to 22 De Laune Street in 1936. He was the London Branch Secretary for the Street Masons, Paviours and Road Makers Union. He had previously lived in Orange St now Copperfield St Southwark but had been forced to move because the landlord didn’t like him working from home and said it broke his lease. John William snr died in 1940. His son John William Lake jnr also became a stone mason and at the end of World War two he was responsible for the engraving of the dates of WW2 onto the Cenotaph in Whitehall. 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
Julian Collingwood House, W1W Added: 23 Mar 2021 10:11 GMT	Dennis Potter Author Dennis Potter lived in Collingwood House in the 1970’s 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
Johnshort Hurley Road, SE11 Added: 7 Oct 2017 21:07 GMT	Hurley Road, SE11 There were stables in the road mid way - also Danny reading had a coal delivery lorry. 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

LATEST LONDON-WIDE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROJECT

Loraine Brocklehurst Holcombe Road, N17 Added: 24 May 2023 14:00 GMT	Holcombe Road, N17 I lived at 23Holcombe Rd. with my parents, Grandfather , Aunt and Uncle in 1954. My Aunt and Uncle lived there until it was demolished. I’m not sure what year that was as we emigrated to Canada. Reply
Jen Williams Corfield Street, E2 Added: 20 May 2023 17:27 GMT	Corfield Street, E2 My mother was born in 193 Corfield Street in 1920.Her father was a policeman. Reply
sofia East Acton Added: 19 May 2023 08:57 GMT	43 MELLITUS STREET 43 MELLITUS STREET Reply
Milson Road, W14 Added: 17 May 2023 11:50 GMT	Milson Road (1908 - 1954) My grandparents and great grandparents and great great grandparents the Manley family lived at 33 Milson Road from 1908 to 1935. My grandad was born at 33 Milson Road. His parents George and Grace had all four of their chidren there. When his father Edward died his mother moved to 67 Milson in 1935 Road and lived there until 1954 (records found so far, it may be longer). Before that they lived in the Porten Road. I wonder if there is anyone that used to know them? My grandad was Charles ’Ted’ Manley, his parents were called George and Grace and George’s parents were called Edward and Bessie. George worked in a garage and Edward was a hairdresser. Reply
Rendlesham Road, E5 Added: 16 Apr 2023 15:55 GMT	Rendlesham Road, E5 I lived at 14 Rendlesham Road in the 1940s and 50s. The house belonged to my grandfather James Grosvenor who bought it in the 1920s for £200.I had a brother who lived in property until 1956 when he married. Local families were the paisleys, the Jenners and the family of Christopher Gable. Reply
Sandra Field Masons Place, EC1V Added: 15 Apr 2023 16:15 GMT	Removal Order Removal order from Shoreditch to Holborn, Jane Emma Hall, Single, 21 Pregnant. Born about 21 years since in Masons place in the parish of St Lukes. Source: Sign up Reply
Sue Germain Southwood Road, SE9 Added: 10 Apr 2023 08:35 GMT	Southwood Road, SE9 My great great grandfather lived in Time Villa, Southwood Rd around 1901. He owned several coffee houses in Whitechapel and in South London, including New Time Coffee House so either his house was named after the coffee house or vice versa. Reply
David Gleeson Campbell Road, N4 Added: 7 Apr 2023 22:19 GMT	MBE from Campbell Bunk (1897 - 1971) Walter Smith born at 43 Campbell Bunk was awarded the MBE in january honours list in 1971. A local councillor for services to the public. Reply

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

Westminster to Green Park walk The heart of government

Westminster to Green Park walk

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

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

Admiralty House, SW1A

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

Birdcage Walk, SW1H

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

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

Central Buildings, 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

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

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

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

Dover House, SW1A

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

Downing Street, SW1A

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

Fludyer Street, SW1A

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

Great Smith Street, SW1P

Gwydyr House, SW1A Gwydyr House is a building on Whitehall.

Gwydyr House, SW1A

Horse Guards Avenue, SW1A Horse Guards Avenue stretches from Whitehall to the Embankment.

Horse Guards Avenue, SW1A

Horse Guards Parade, SW1A Horse Guards Parade dates to the time of Henry VIII.

Horse Guards Parade, SW1A

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

Lambeth Palace Road, SE1 Lambeth Palace Road is one of the streets of London in the SE1 postal area.

Lambeth Palace Road, SE1

Lewisham Street, SW1H Lewisham Street is a Westminster alleyway.

Lewisham Street, SW1H

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

Main Building, SW1A Main Building is a block on Horse Guards Avenue.

Main Building, SW1A

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

Matthew Parker Street, SW1H

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

Municipal Insurance House, SW1H

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

NIOC House, SW1H

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

Old Queen 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

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

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

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

St. Margaret 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

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, SW1A The Terrace is a road in the SW1A postcode area

The Terrace, SW1A

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

Victoria Embankment, SW1A Victoria Embankment leads north out of the Westminster area.

Victoria Embankment, SW1A

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

Westminster Pier, SW1A

Whitehall Gardens, SW1A Whitehall Gardens is a road in the SW1A postcode area

Whitehall Gardens, SW1A

Whitehall, SW1A Whitehall is recognised as the centre of the government of the United Kingdom.

Whitehall, SW1A

NEARBY PUBS

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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:	Waterloo Bridge on an 1810 map. TUM image id: 1556885410 Licence: CC BY 2.0
Piccadilly Theatre (2007) Credit: Turquoisefish TUM image id: 1556885906 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	Westminster Abbey with a procession of Knights of the Bath (1749) Credit: Canaletto TUM image id: 1557315488 Licence:
London Hippodrome in 2017 Credit: Ethan Doyle White TUM image id: 1528649183 Licence: CC BY 2.0	Sectional view of Wyld’s Great Globe, which stood in Leicester Square, London 1851–62 Credit: Illustrated London News TUM image id: 1490829375 Licence:	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

In the neighbourhood...

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William Shakespeare
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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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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
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Strand stretches along the River Thames between Trafalgar Square and Aldwych
Credit: The Underground Map
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Hungerford Stairs circa 1828
Licence: CC BY 2.0

Buses outside the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. Date of photo unknown
Credit: Stockholm Transport Museum
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Westminster Abbey with a procession of Knights of the Bath (1749)
Credit: Canaletto
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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.
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
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The Adelphi Building on Savoy Place, looking north from Victoria Embankment Gardens (2018)
Credit: Wiki Commons/Acabashi
Licence: CC BY 2.0

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