THE COPYHOLD LANDS
Most of the copyhold lands in the Manor consisted
of small fields amalgamated into two holdings
known as the 34 acres and 32 acres. At the
beginning of the 16th century most of these small
fields were held by Sir John Leigh. (ref. 5)
THE 34 ACRES
In 1672 William Hall, citizen and fishmonger of
London, surrendered to the use of his will two
third parts of four messuages and 34 acres, which
he bequeathed to his sons, Richard and John. (ref. 47)
They purchased the remaining third part from
Thomas Cason in 1689 (ref. 47) and the whole property
was subsequently divided between their heirs.
Richard Hall's share was sold in 1793 by Mary
Cleaver, widow, and Mary Ann Cleaver, her
daughter, to John Wilkinson of Woodford,
Doctor of Physic. (ref. 48) It comprised the Pightle
(plot 43) and the 14 acres (plots 25, 37 and 39),
in the tenure of John Ismay. Wilkinson died in
1818 and left one moiety of his estate to his
nephew, Joseph Wilkinson, and one moiety to
another nephew, Josiah Williamson. (ref. 49) In 1843
an Act of Parliament vested Joseph Wilkinson's
moiety in trustees and empowered them to join
with the owners of Josiah Williamson's moiety to
grant building leases for the development of the
estate. (ref. 50) Hanover Gardens was built on the
Pightle, and Albert Square, Aldebert Terrace
(formerly Williamson Street), Wilkinson Street
and St. Stephen's Terrace were built on the
14 acres in the late 1840s and early 1850s. Most
of the houses were the work of local builders (ref. 51)
including John Snell who also erected houses on
the 12 acres (see page 63).
Albert Square
Fig. 19, plots 37 and 39
The houses in this square are interesting and
vigorous examples of early Victorian architecture
and share the distinction with Angell Terrace of
being the only examples of their type in the area
covered by this volume. The square is joined to
Clapham Road by a broad tree-lined approach,
and surrounded by substantial four-storey houses
of Classical design (Plate 50d). These are closely
and symmetrically grouped, singly, in pairs, and
in threes, and are given the appearance of being
continuous terraces by the linking together of
their single-storey entrances. The square was the
work of a north London builder, John Glenn of
Islington, who was granted a building lease of the
land from September 29, 1846. (ref. 52)
St Stephen's Church, St Stephen's
Terrace
Fig. 19, plot 37
In 1857 the increasing number of inhabitants
in this part of his parish prompted the Rev.
Charles Kemble, incumbent of St. Michael's,
Stockwell, to urge the need for a new church in
this district. Two years later the copyholders
conveyed their interest in the site of St. Stephen's
Church and parsonage to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners,
and the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury
enfranchised the land. (ref. 53) The church
(Plate 15c), which accommodated 1,200 persons,
was designed by John Barnett, (ref. 54) and the contractor
was George Myers (ref. 55) who was also responsible
for the building of St. Barnabas'. It was
consecrated by the Bishop of Winchester on
April 23, 1861, and a district was assigned in the
same year. (ref. 56) The spire was damaged by the cable
of a drifting barrage balloon in 1940; it is to be
rebuilt shortly.
St. Stephen's is a Decorated Gothic building
with an exterior of Kentish ragstone dressed with
Bath stone. The plan is T-shaped, with a wide
aisleless nave and short transepts, the altar being
placed in a shallow projection from the east end.
The most prominent external feature is the steeple
at the north-east corner. This is of three stages
and each face is flanked by offset buttresses surmounted
by tall octagonal corner pinnacles. From
the centre of each face rises a gabled dormer containing
a two-light louvred window. The dormers
project from the belfry stage of the octagonal
spire. Each of the nave windows is surmounted
by a gable. Internally, the timber roofs, which are
braced and of scissors construction, have exposed
members and are carried on moulded corbels
borne by short shafts. Over the altar is a distinctive
Catherine-wheel window containing blue
and green glass. The geometrically patterned
glass of the five-light transept windows is also
richly coloured. A deep organ gallery extends
across the west end and is supported on slender
cast-iron columns.
St. Stephen's Church of England Primary
School, Dorset Road, was erected in 1847; it
was originally the church school of the parish of
St. Michael, Stockwell, but the school was transferred
to St. Stephen's parish in 1862. It now
occupies several one- and two-storey buildings
erected at different times. (ref. 57)
John Hall's portion of the 34 acres descended
to John Wilkins, who died in 1778. (ref. 58) In 1806 (ref. 59)
it was purchased by James Humphrys and included the 12 acress (part of plot 22) and four acres
on the west side of Wandsworth Road (part of
plot 3). Humphrys died in 1861 (ref. 60) and was
probably the architect who partnered Isaac Clarke
in the designing of St. Barnabas' Church, which
stood on his land. It seems likely that he was also
personally responsible for the well-planned layout
of his estate.
Lansdowne Gardens and Neighbourhood,
St. Barnabas' Church, Guildford Road
Fig. 19, part of plot 22
On the 12 acres the pattern of development
took the form of a circus at the centre, containing
a garden, with roads radiating towards the cardinal
points (fig. 22). The land was divided into
small plots and developed under licences to demise
granted between 1843 and 1850. (ref. 61) The houses in the circus (Plate 51c) which, together with most
of the others on the estate, were erected by John
Snell of Dorset Street (now Road), builder, are
simple well-proportioned two-storey villas with
semi-basements. They are built of stock brick and
most have projecting porches carried on Doric
columns. In Hartington Road, however, the
porches are recessed, the openings being flanked
by antae with wreaths in the friezes above. In
Lansdowne Way there are plain three-storey
terrace houses. No. 45 Guildford Road is a
small cream-painted Gothic house with battlemented
gable, angle buttresses and carved head
stops to the labels (Plate 58a). The house was
erected about 1844 under a lease granted to
Humphry Joseph Lightly of the City of London. (ref. 61)
The large vicarage adjoining the church
of St. Barnabas was erected by John Snell (ref. 61) and
also has Gothic detail.
While the estate was being developed a site
was conveyed to the Church Building Commissioners
for the erection of St. Barnabas, Guildford
Road. The first stone was laid on July 27, 1848,
by Adolphus Frederick, Duke of Cambridge, and
the fabric (excluding the bell-turret) was erected
by George Myers at a cost of £4,800 (ref. 62) to the
designs of Isaac Clarke and James Humphrys. (ref. 63)
The building provides accommodation for about
1,500 people; it was consecrated on June 24,
1850, by the Bishop of Winchester, (ref. 62) and a
district was assigned in 1851. (ref. 63) Dr. Ralph
Vaughan Williams, O.M., was at one time
organist here. (ref. 64)
Figure 22.:
Lansdowne Gardens area, lay-out plan
The church (Plate 51c, fig. 23) is placed axially
on the road leading east from Landowne Gardens,
and has a simple plan with a nave and aisles of six
bays terminated by a shallow apse at the east end.
The building is designed in the Early English
Gothic style and externally faced with Kentish
ragstone dressed with Bath stone. The nave is
clerestoried and there is a slender bell-turret of
octagonal plan against the south-west corner of
the nave, which projects slightly beyond the
aisles.
The interior is plain and dignified with tall
two-light windows lighting the eastern apse. The
graceful nave arcading, borne on alternate octagonal
and circular stone columns with foliated
capitals, supports a hammer-beam roof. The east
window contains rich stained-glass portraying St.
Barnabas and St. Paul.
The church was restored in 1948, and refurnished
with the organ from All Saints' Church,
Allen Edwards Road, and the pulpit from St.
Augustine's Church, Clapham Road (ref. 65) (see
page 83). All Saints' Church was designed by
Alfred Bedborough (ref. 66) and erected in 1876–8, but
after being damaged during the war of 1939–45 it
was pulled down and most of the parish combined
with that of St. Barnabas. The mission church of
St. Silas, Dawlish Street, which was designed by
A. D. Gough (ref. 67) and erected in 1862, (ref. 68) has also
been demolished after war damage.
Figure 23.:
St. Barnabas, Guildford Road, plan
THE 32 ACRES AND BRICK CLOSE
In 1663 Foulke Bignall was admitted as a copyhold
tenant to a messuage and 36 acres in South
Lambeth, which had previously belonged to
Philip Pinchon (ref. 69) or Pincheon. (ref. 1) The 36 acres
included four acres called Brick Close which
Foulke's son, Robert, sold in 1680 to William
Kempe of Chelsea, yeoman; (ref. 70) in 1865 this land
was enfranchised and sold to William and Sarah
Bell of Lawn Place. (ref. 71) The probable site of Brick
Close is indicated on the key plan (plot 33); it was
said to abut on Caron Park on the west in 1680 (ref. 70)
and on the east in 1822, (ref. 72) but evidence suggests
that the earlier description is correct. The remaining
32 acres (plots 35, 36 and 40) were not split
until 1806 when they were purchased by John
Fentiman, the elder, of Kennington. (ref. 73) He sold
about one and a half acres to Robert Orford,
John Bridges and Sir Charles Blicke. Orford's
piece fronted the Clapham Road, Bridges' piece
was part of Home Field and Blicke's adjoined
this on the north. (ref. 74) Fentiman also purchased most
of Claylands (part of the demesne of the Manor)
which abutted on the 32 acres (see page 60). The
copyhold estate covered the area between Meadow
Road, Fentiman Road, Clapham Road and
Wilkinson Street. When Fentiman died in 1820
his sons did not sell his property as directed in his
will but divided it between them; John Fentiman,
junior, took the remaining 30½ acres of Vauxhall
Manor copyhold; on his admittance in 1823 he
was described as a brick merchant of Camberwell. (ref. 75)
The estate was mortgaged and when
John William Fentiman was admitted in 1857
it had dwindled to the land between Meadow
Road, Fentiman Road, Palfrey Place and Dorset
Road. (ref. 76) Dorset (formerly South Lambeth New)
Road was probably laid out about 1806, when
John Fentiman, senior, agreed that it should
remain open for the use of the public for ever. (ref. 77)
Both the Fentimans and Thomas Waite Marson,
who held a mortgage on the estate, (ref. 75) granted
building leases and the property was developed
under these leases, chiefly by local builders.
Nos. 60–66 and 92–122 (even) Clapham
Road
Formerly Nos. 16–3 (consec.) Dorset Terrace and Nos.
16–1 (consec.) New Dorset Place
Fig. 19, plot 40
These houses are examples of the original development
on the Fentimans' copyhold estate,
though their architectural poverty makes them
otherwise unremarkable. Nos. 92–122 were
erected about 1824, (ref. 78) probably by Thomas
Coope; (ref. 79) they form a plain three-storey terrace
with attics. Shops have been built across the
front gardens of Nos. 106–110. Nos. 60–66 were
erected a little later, in the 1830s, (ref. 78) and form a
four-storey range with continuous cast-iron
balcony railings on the first floor.