Ireland Yard EC4
When the Black Friars monastery was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1538, most of the buildings were left to decay, whilst some of those occupying the outer fringes of the grounds were given to people who happened to be in the King’s favour at the time. One such beneficiary was Sir Thomas Carwardine who on a nod and a wink came away from the royal chamber clutching the title deeds to the priory church and east gatehouse.
Having little regard for ancient buildings he promptly pulled down the church and was on the verge of doing the same with the gatehouse, but on seconds thoughts decided to make it his home. Later in the century the refurbished ‘house’ was sold to William Ireland, a City haberdasher, who stepped out of his door one day only to be frightened out of his wits by a bearded gentleman cuddling a skull and spouting forth about ghosts. He was not aware of it at the time but this petrifying fellow was none other than William Shakespeare who, to Ireland’s dismay, was about to become his next door neighbour. Because buses were not too frequent in those days, Shakespeare moved into Ireland Yard in 1612 so as to be conveniently near to Richard Burbage’s new theatre where the great man regularly featured at the top of the bill.
A short flight of steps on the north side of Ireland Yard lead up to the churchyard of St Ann Blackfriars where a Corporation of London notice board by the steps records that, ‘on this plot of land stood, in the middle ages, part of the provincials hall of the Dominican Priors of Blackfriars with the dorter over. When the priory was dissolved in 1538 the parish church of St Anne Blackfriars was built on this site. The church was destroyed in the great fire of 1666 and not rebuilt. The parish was united with the parish of St Andrew by the Wardrobe. The site was thereafter used as a churchyard alternately with the one in Church Entry. It was closed in 1849.
Ironmonger Passage EC1
UG: Old Street
Bus: 55 243 505
From Old Street Station walk west along the north side of Old Street. Cross Bath Street and in about 210 yds turn right into Ironmonger Row. Cross Mitchell Street and Ironmonger Passage is a few yds on the right.
Ironmonger Passage is left to us by courtesy of Thomas Mitchell, man about town and ironmonger, who in his final days made a noble gesture to his beloved company. In 1527 he left his ten-acre site consisting of farmlands and outbuildings to the use of the Company of Ironmongers’. At that time the Company was in its primary years having been incorporated by a charter granted in 1463, however this charter only fully came into effect when it was confirmed by Philip and Mary in 1558.
It is many years since this area was graced with anything resembling farmlands but the local authority has made a token gesture and preserved a small plot of fenced-in greenery, which has the prospect of being quite pleasant if only they would attend to the aesthetics. The Passage too is now in a sorry state, being inaccessible from the Ironmonger Row end through the erection of sturdy iron gates, and severely truncated at the east end resulting from a school being built there some years ago. High rise flats dominate the district, including the prominent Grayson House, a sixteen-storey block of tiny boxes. However, setting aside the overpowering panorama, Mr Mitchell’s old quarter has its merits – although you need to search most diligently to find them.
At the pruned east end of the Passage is Lizard Street, a narrow way about as slender as the Passage itself. It too was named from the Ironmongers’ Company, reflecting two of the emblems that appear in its coat of arms; they are actually salamanders, lizard-like creatures that are supposed to exist in fire. Helmet Row, to the west of St Luke’s churchyard, also reflects the helmets that appear in the coat of arms. The street commemorating Thomas Mitchell himself lies to the south of the Passage where the Lewen almshouses once stood. These houses were built at the expense of Thomas Lewen, one time Master of the Company of Ironmongers’ who, until lately, was remembered in Lewen’s Court, now almost completely obliterated from the scene. You can still detect its location, where Mitchell Street becomes Bartholomew Square.
Ivybridge Lane WC2
UG: Embankment
Bus:6 9 11 13 15 23 77A 91 176
Leaving Embankment Station take the Villiars Street exit and turn almost immediately right into Victoria Embankment Gardens. Follow the long path leading in a north-easterly direction and just by the Savoy Hotel turn left through the gate into Savoy Place. Here turn left again and Ivybridge Lane is a short distance on the right.
In the 16th century, and probably before, a number of small streams ran down from the higher ground north of the Strand to the Thames. These streams were all bridged where the main road (Strand) crossed and the bridges were identified by either their location or character. Some of these narrow lanes that were originally formed out of the beds of the streams are still in existence today; two such example are at Strand Lane and Milford Lane. However, whilst Ivybridge Lane gets its name from a similar source it lies only approximately on the site of the old stream which ran under the foliage clad bridge. John Stow tells us: ‘Ivy bridge, in the high street, which had a way under it leadiang down to the Thames, the like as sometimes had the Strand bridge, is now taken down, but the lane remaineth as afore, or better’. About 1600 William Cecil, Lord Burghley, decided to build ‘a large and stately house of brick and timber’ on the Strand, and in doing so diverted the line of the stream some forty yards to the west. It seems that the stream never accepted its diversion so that most of the water soaked away in the newly dug earth. In an agreement between the churchwardens of St Martin-in-the-Fields and Cecil the remainder of the flow was channelled through conduit and by the time Stow came down here in 1598 the bridge had been taken down. So, although the Lane is not actually formed from the bed of the stream, it was the intended course.
Lying to the western side of Shell Mex House, Ivybridge Lane is no longer accessible. From its southern end the steep up-hill climb can still be seen to where the way becomes very narrow before entering the Strand. Although the Lane is unsigned it is very easily discernible by the iron gates labelled with a red PRIVATE sign; the northern opening, however, is more difficult to trace, being sealed with a dirty board-covered gate. It lies at the side of the Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurant and by peering through a small gap at the side of the gate it is possible to view the full length of this one time watercourse.
The alleyways and courtyards of London
This page is taken from Ivor Hoole’s defunct GeoCities site listing the alleys and courtyards in Central London, last updated in 2004 and now taken offline.
The Underground Map blog lists this information as is, with no claim of copyright.