CHAPTER XXVIII
Little St. James's Street
and Catherine Wheel Yard
Little St. James's Street was originally a
small passage about ten feet wide (ref. 1) leading
from St. James's Street into a stable yard on
the Pulteney estate. (ref. 2) From about 1680 the
passage was called Catherine Wheel Yard, taking
its name from a tavern which stood at the east end
of the north side. (ref. 3) This name was adopted, and
has survived in use to the present day, for the
western extension of the passage which was made
in 1690–1 over the stable yard site and across
Cleveland House garden. At the same time the
passage was also extended northwards and southwards over part of Sandpit Field which had not
been taken for the formation of Green Park (see
page 27). This north-south line led from Cleveland Row along the west side of Cleveland House
and emerged into St. James's Place south of the
site of No. 26 (fig. 81). A small part, covered
over by the terrace of Spencer House, survives to
the west of Spencer House but the rest was
stopped up when Bridgwater House was built.
In 1722 the original passage was described as
'intended to be called' Little St. James's Street, (ref. 4)
but the old name persisted in use for some years
afterwards. When a new north—south way was
opened in the 1840's on the east side of Bridgwater House, it too was named Little St. James's
Street.
The stable yard which stood on the Pulteney
estate (now covered by the bend in Little St.
James's Street and premises on the south-east corner of the bend) was described in 1651 as a yard,
fifty-two feet square, with brick-built stables,
lofted over, around each side. (ref. 5) By 1667 some of
the stables had been converted into dwellinghouses (ref. 6) and by 1680 they and ten small houses
on the north side of the passage were described as
being 'impaired' or 'old and ruinous'. (ref. 3) A new
stable yard, to the west of the one on the Pulteney
estate, was laid out in 1690–1 on part of Cleveland
House garden purchased by the Marquis of Halifax and leased by him to John Underwood, citizen
and leatherseller of London, in trust for John
Rossington. Rossington laid out the yard which
is still called Catherine Wheel Yard on this site
with stables on the north and south sides. (ref. 7)
Probably about this time the western range of
stables in the old stable yard was cleared to extend
the passage from St. James's Street into the new
stable yard and in 1721–2, after the passing of the
Act of Parliament allowing the Crown to convey
the freehold of the Pulteney estate (see page 27),
most, if not all, of the other old buildings were
cleared away for redevelopment. William Pulteney, who had inherited the Pulteney estate,
granted building leases to Edward Austen or
Austin, a bricklayer, of sites on the north and
south sides of the passage 'intended to be called
Little St. James's Street'. (ref. 8) Austin built several
houses in the street and may have been assisted by
Thomas Dance, plasterer, who designed the central block of Guy's Hospital, (ref. 9) and to whom Austin
mortgaged at least five houses in the street. (ref. 10)
When Lord Montfort was considering building
a new house on the site later occupied by Spencer
House, he applied in 1754 to the Crown for permission to erect arches over that part of the northsouth line of Catherine Wheel Yard which
adjoined the site on the west, in order to build
over it. The passage was almost subterranean at
this point and dark and noisome. The Surveyor
General thought it would be even more resorted to
by 'very mean persons' if it were covered over, but
approved of its being closed up instead. (ref. 11) This
part of the passage was consequently closed and the
terrace on the west side of Spencer House was
built over it.
The rest of the north-south line of Catherine
Wheel Yard was closed up shortly after 1843 and
Bridgwater House built over it (see page 496).
At the same time Little St. James's Street was
extended in a southerly direction to meet Cleveland Row, and was widened where it entered St.
James's Street (see pages 479, 496).