THE FREEHOLD LANDS
Most of the freehold land in Vauxhall Manor
was held at the beginning of the 17th century by
Noel de Caron, Lord of Schoonewale in Flanders,
one of the most distinguished inhabitants of
Lambeth. In 1581 Caron was elected to the
States General of the United Provinces, where he
proved himself a devoted follower of the Prince of
Orange. He was consequently chosen to be one
of the envoys sent to England for the negotiations
between the States General and Elizabeth I in
1585. From this time he appears to have become
an enthusiastic anglophile and lived chiefly in
England. After the death of their agent to the
English Court, the States General elected Caron
as his successor in 1591. (ref. 80) He was often referred
to as “Sir” Noel de Caron, but this was probably
a translation of his Flemish title as he does not
seem to have been granted an English knighthood.
Caron purchased his property in South Lambeth in two parts. In 1602 he bought a “greate
howse” with a dairy-house and about 70 acres,
from Thomas Hewytt (Hewett) of St. Andrew
Undershaft. (ref. 81) The property had been sold in
1586 by William Henbury and Morgan Pope
to a William Hewett, whose sons had mortgaged
it and conveyed the reversion to the Queen after
the death of the mortgagees. The reversion was
subsequently granted by Letters Patent to Caron,
who held the property “as of the Manor of East
Greenwich”, i.e. in socage. (ref. 82) In 1618 he added
to his already considerable estate several pieces of
land purchased from (Sir) William and Catherine
Foster. (ref. 83) Catherine had inherited this property
from her grandfather, Laurence Palmer, (ref. 84) who
settled his estate on his son, Symon, and his heirs
in 1592. (ref. 83) Caron also enjoyed the profits of the
neighbouring Manor of Kennington. (ref. 85) He continued as ambassador until his death in December
1624, (ref. 86) and was buried in St. Mary's, Lambeth,
in the following January. (ref. 87) The settlement of
both his real and personal property took several
years. His will (ref. 88) was imperfect and his kin began
several lawsuits to recover his property. (ref. 89) The
matter was referred to the Privy Council and in
1627 the Council politely informed the new
ambassador of the States General that although
all rights and privileges due to the quality of
ambassador would be accorded to Caron's goods
and estates, the lands he purchased in England
were subject to the laws of the realm and that
“none could inherite from an allien made dennizon (as Sir Noel Caron was) but the issue of
his own boddy begotten”. (ref. 90) Caron had apparently
never married and it was not until 1632 that the
Privy Council was advised that it was “honourable
and just” for the lands of Noel de Caron to be
sold and the proceeds distributed amongst his
kin. (ref. 91) The lands which he purchased from
Hewytt were apparently divided and sold but the
lands purchased from the Fosters were escheated
to the Lords of the Manor of Vauxhall, and were
subsequently known as “The Vauxhall Escheat”.
CARON HOUSE ESTATE
Perhaps on the site of the “greate howse” which
he purchased from Hewytt, Caron erected a large
mansion house (plot 30) which took several years
to build. (ref. 92) Its grandeur may be judged from
Plate 44a and from the little sketch which appears
on the map of 1681, reproduced on Plate 123 of
volume XXIII of the Survey of London. The
large park which surrounded the mansion (fig. 19,
plots 30, 31, 32 and part of 33) was well watered
by Vauxhall Creek and studded with trees.
During the Commonwealth period the house was
owned and occupied by Alderman Francis Allen, (ref. 93)
one of the Commissioners appointed to try Charles
I, (ref. 94) and “a violent person against His Majesty”. (ref. 95)
In 1666 the house and park were granted by the
King to the Lord Chancellor, Edward, Earl of
Clarendon, for a yearly rent of 10 shillings. (ref. 96)
Clarendon sold the estate in April 1667 to Sir
Jeremy Whichcott (Whichcote) of Hendon, (ref. 97)
who had been Solicitor-General to the Prince
Elector Palatine, (ref. 98) Charles Lewis, son of Frederick V. In the following September a patent was
issued constituting the Fleet Prison to be at
Caron House and granting the office of warden
to Sir Jeremy. (ref. 99) He died in 1677 (ref. 100) and in that
year his son, Sir Paul Whichcott, was said to be
the owner of Caron House and park. (ref. 101) In 1683
the estate was leased by Sir Francis Pemberton,
Benjamin Whichcott and Christopher Cratford
of St. Giles in the Fields, to Thomas Grover,
citizen and tallow-chandler of London, for one
year at a peppercorn rent. (ref. 102) Sir Francis Pemberton was Lord Chief Justice of the King's
Bench and had married Anne, the eldest daughter
of Sir Jeremy; Benjamin Whichcott was Sir
Jeremy's brother and Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge
University until he was ejected at the
Restoration. (ref. 103) Between 1683 and 1685 (ref. 104)
Caron House was pulled down, but its name survived
and during the 19th century two houses
stood on the estate, one called Carroun House
and the other Caron Place (see below). There is
no proof that either of these stood on the site of
the old Caron House.
The history of the estate can be traced from
1685 through deeds preserved at the Minet
Public Library and at Lambeth Town Hall. In
1725 it was purchased by Edward Lovibond of
St. James, Clerkenwell, and remained in the
possession of his family until 1797, when it was
sold to (Sir) Charles Blicke (ref. 35) who probably had
Carroun House erected for his residence (see
below). The plan of Blicke's estate reproduced
here (fig. 24) is based on a plan of the estate
drawn in 1838 and covers the area from Lawn
Lane to the backs of houses in Heyford Avenue,
and extends east to a line drawn from the rear of
Vauxhall Park to the junction of Meadow and
Fentiman Roads. From internal and external
evidence there is no doubt that it describes the
land granted to Clarendon in 1666 with the
exception of a piece of Claylands (see page 60) and
two small pieces of copyhold of Vauxhall Manor
to which Blicke was admitted tenant in 1806
(see page 65) and 1808. (ref. 105)
Figure 24.:
Plan of the estate of Sir Charks Blicke
Vauxhall Park
Fig. 19, plots 31, 32 and part of 33
The land marked A on fig. 24 was let on two
leases in 1791 by George Lovibond to James
Gubbins and Philip Buckley, together with the
eight houses which they had erected. (ref. 25) These
were Nos. 1–8 (consec.) The Lawn, so-called
from the extensive grass plot which lay before
them, later Nos. 37–51 (odd) South Lambeth
Road. Henry Fawcett, M.P., the blind Postmaster-General,
lived at No.51 from 1875 until
his death in 1884. (ref. 106)
The large house shown on the land marked B
on fig. 24 and called variously Carroun, Carron
or Caron House, was occupied by Sir Charles
Blicke. His heirs sold the house and grounds to
William Evans in 1838 and it was subsequently
occupied by John Cobeldick. (ref. 35) Fentiman Road
was laid out on a line just south of the house in
1838, and the garden ground thus divided from
the house by the road was sold by Evans to Henry
Beaufoy. (ref. 107) Part of Rita Road now stands on
this site. The part of the estate north of Fentiman
Road which included The Lawn, and Carroun
House and gardens, is now covered by Vauxhall
Park.
A proposal was made in 1886 that roads should
be formed across this part of the estate so that it
could be developed for housing purposes, (ref. 108) but
owing to the activity of Octavia Hill eight and a
half acres were purchased for £43,500 from John
Cobeldick by the Lambeth Vestry in 1889 for
the formation of a park. (ref. 109) The purchase was
made under powers granted by an Act of Parliament
passed in 1888. (ref. 110) The London County
Council and the Charity Commissioners contributed
towards the purchase price, (ref. 111) and Mark
Beaufoy, who was at that time M.P. for Kennington,
also made a contribution. (ref. 112) The cost of
forming the park was borne by the Kyrle Society
whose landscape gardener, Fanny R. Wilkinson,
designed the layout. (ref. 112) C. Harrison Townsend
designed the entrance gates and railings. (ref. 35) The
Society's Treasurer, Octavia Hill, was present at
the opening ceremony on July 7, 1890, which was
performed by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. (ref. 113)
On the site of Henry Fawcett's house, which
was pulled down for the formation of the park,
stands an artificial stone statue to his memory
(Plate 71b). It was modelled by George Tinworth
and made at Doulton's manufactory, and was
unveiled on June 7, 1893. (ref. 114) The statue stands
on a pedestal which has panels representing Justice,
Good and Bad News, Sympathy, Courage,
Truth, India and the Post Office. The slightly
raised terrace running northward from the statue
follows the same line as the paved way in front
of The Lawn.
Caron's Almshouses, Fentiman Road
Fig. 19, plot 33
In 1618 (ref. 115) Noel de Caron founded an almshouse
on land belonging to him on the west side
of the Kingston (now Wandsworth) Road (part
of plot 7). The almshouse was a long, low, twostoreyed
range (Plate 30a) containing seven separate
apartments, and housed seven women aged
over 60. In his will Caron stipulated that whoever
occupied his house in South Lambeth should pay
an annual rent of £28, from which a pension of
twenty shillings was to be paid quarterly to each
almswoman. (ref. 88) This proved an unsatisfactory
arrangement, and in 1677 Sir Paul Whichcott,
the owner of Caron House, was ordered by the
Court of Chancery to pay the arrears which had
accrued. (ref. 101) The charity was further endowed in
1773 by the Countess of Gower, in 1783 by
Hayes Fortee and in 1867 under the will of
Robert Forest. (ref. 101) The owner of Caron House,
and later the owner of the site, continued to
nominate the women for vacancies in the alms-house
By 1853 the building had become “uncomfortable
and unsuitable” for aged persons,
and an offer of £1,500 was made for the site by
Price's Patent Candle Company. (ref. 116) A petition
was presented to the Court of Chancery and
permission was granted for the Company to
purchase the site on condition that the £1,500
was appropriated for the erection of new premises
on a piece of land belonging to the Caron House
estate then owned by William Evans. The new
almshouses (Plate 30b) were erected on the north
side of Fentiman Road in 1854. Under a scheme
promulgated in 1893 the charities of the Countess
of Gower, Hayes Fortee and Robert Forest were
combined with Caron's and vested in the Official
Trustee. (ref. 101) They are now administered under
the United Charities of Lambeth Scheme (1924),
and the almswomen are elected by the Trustees. (ref. 117)
The site of the old almshouse, which measured
about 105 by 47 feet, was sold to the Phoenix
Gas Light and Coke Company in 1865, and is
now incorporated with the works of the South-Eastern
Gas Board. (ref. 116) The present almshouses
are designed in Tudor style and built in a rich
red brick with stone dressings. Tablets recording
the benefactions of Caron and Evans, together
with their coats of arms, are set in the gable over
the centre house, which has a stone hood over its
entrance.
Whicher's and Kifford's Almshouses, Stanley Close, Fentiman Road
Fig. 19, plot 33
These two almshouses were both founded in
Westminster at the end of the 17th century, and
were moved to Lambeth shortly after 1855. (ref. 35)
By his will dated November 17, 1680, George
Whicher left £1,500 for the purchase of land and
the erection of an almshouse for six old men who
were to be maintained from the residue of the
money. The almsmen were to be nominated by
Whicher's executors during their lives, and then
by the Deans of Westminster and the Chapel
Royal. (ref. 118) An almshouse was built in Little
Chapel Street (now Caxton Street).
By her will dated December 30, 1698, Judith
Kifford left £300 for the foundation of an almshouse
for two “decayed virtuous poor gentlewomen”
who were to be nominated by her executors
and the survivor of them, and then by the
executors of such survivor. (ref. 118) Two houses were
erected in Brewer's Green in 1705, on land
belonging to the Dean and Chapter of Westminster.
The charity was abandoned by Mrs.
Kifford's representatives and in 1824 an Order of
the Court of Chancery appointed the Dean and
Chapter as Trustees. (ref. 119)
By 1853 Whicher's almshouses were unfit for
habitation and the Westminster Improvement
Act (ref. 120) empowered the Dean and Chapter to sell
both sets of almshouses to the Westminster
Improvement Commissioners. The proceeds
were to be applied to the purchase of a site and
the erection of new houses which were to be
conveyed to the Dean and Chapter, in accordance
with a scheme to be sanctioned by the Court of
Chancery. In 1855, William Evans sold a strip
of land on the west side of Caron's almshouses to
the Dean and Chapter; (ref. 35) two houses designed by
Messrs. Hunt and Stephenson were erected there
shortly afterwards, (ref. 119) one for each charity. They
form a two-storey terrace designed in Tudor
style. Their gables have ornamental wooden
bargeboards with pendant finials.
Nos. 57 and 59 South Lambeth Road
Formerly Nos. 13 and 14 South Lambeth Road
Fig. 19, plot 30
In 1768, when the Caron House estate was
still owned by the Lovibond family, a lease of
four and a quarter acres was granted to William
Blackwell, a gardener, for 99 years. He was given
licence to build on the land but also covenanted
to maintain the garden ground in a “Husbandlike
and Gardenerlike manner” and to keep about
200 standard fruit trees on the ground “in good
heart” and to replace them as they decayed. This
policy of making the best of both worlds led to the
erection of Nos. 57–67 (odd), formerly Nos.
13–18 (consec.) South Lambeth Road, by William
Burrows, plasterer, who had a sub-lease from
Blackwell. (ref. 35) No. 57 is a plain stock brick terrace
house of three storeys with an attic (fig. 25). The
doorway has a patterned fanlight and there are
keystones with modelled heads, probably in
Coade's artificial stone, over the ground-floor
round-headed arches (Plate 70a, 70b, 70c). The
front of No. 59, a three-storey house with a narrower
frontage, has no ornament. The carcase of
the adjoining building (formerly part of No.59)
remains, though it has been refronted in recent
years. Nos. 61–67 have been demolished. Most
of the site marked D on fig. 24 is now occupied
by William Bloore and son, Ltd., timber merchants.
The firm has occupied No. 57 South
Lambeth Road since 1879, (ref. 121) but was established
earlier in Bond Street (ref. 122) (now Bondway). The
house marked Percy Villa on fig. 24 and now
pulled down was the home of Lionel and Mary
Brough, (ref. 122) the famous actor and actress.
No. 87 South Lambeth Road
Fig. 19, plot 30
The land marked E on fig. 24 is the site of
Beaufoy's Vinegar Works. These formerly occupied
a site on the south bank of the Thames which
was needed for the formation of Waterloo
Bridge. (ref. 123) In 1810 John Hanbury Beaufoy
bought four acres of land from Sir Charles Blicke (ref. 35)
and built a new manufactory and family residence
(Caron Place) on the site (Plate 42); the architect
is not known. The buildings have a distinguished
quality which compares favourably
with the later industrial buildings near by. The
manufactory and offices are housed in substantial
buildings of two and three storeys, built in stock
brick with stone dressings, and grouped about a
long yard. This yard was approached thorugh
a walled garden along a short private road,
at the inner end of which stood two single-storey
lodges. The south lodge was destroyed by
bombing on October 12, 1940, but the surviving
north lodge has a loggia with cast-iron columns,
surmounted by the arms of the Beaufoy family.
The iron gates illustrated on Plate 42a were
removed from the Royal Exchange after the fire
of 1838; (ref. 124) they are now preserved at the
Beaufoy family's present home at Heyford in
Oxfordshire. On the south side of the yard stands
Caron Place, a plain building formerly inhabited
by the Beaufoys, and now used as offices. Alongside
is the shell of a two-storey building burnt
out in an air-raid on May 10, 1941. The first
floor of this building was formerly used as a
ballroom, which was lit by stone-dressed Venetian
windows on the north and east sides. The stock
brick elevations are finished with a triglyphed
frieze beneath a stone cornice and blocking course.
The dominant building in the group is the vat
house, which stands at the east end of the yard.
It is surmounted by a wooden cupola which is
raised above a wooden rusticated stage containing
a clock. Before a fire damaged the building in
1916 the copper-covered cupola was supported by
a solid square stage, pilastered at the corners,
instead of by the present eight free-standing
columns. The bell hanging in the cupola is cast
with the inscription. “THOMAS MEARS
LONDON FOUNDER 1843”. Another bell
preserved on the premises but not hung is inscribed
“HENRY BEAUFOY ESQ., 1833”.
The floor of the cooperage behind the yard is
paved with mill stones formerly used in the
manufactory. The premises are now owned by
British Vinegars Ltd., and are used for blending,
bottling and cooperage work.
THE BOND ESTATE
The history and disposition of the remainder of
the freehold lands which Noel de Caron purchased
from Thomas Hewytt are not so easily traced,
but it is possible to sketch their descent by means
of the evidence of field names in a few surviving
deeds. An idea of their disposition may be gained
from the fact that the Bond estate, with which
they nearly coincided, included plots 11, 12,
14, 20, 24 and part of 22 (fig. 19).
Figure 25.:
No. 57 South Lambeth Road. Lessee, William Burrows, Plasterer
When Thomas Hill drew his map of Vauxhall
Manor in 1681 most of this property was owned
by John Plumer and William Freeman. Plumer
sold 20 acres to Elias Ashmole in 1686 (ref. 125) and
Thomas Cooper purchased Freeman's lands in
1683. (ref. 126) Both estates became vested in Cooper's
great grand-daughter Emma Miles (ref. 127) and in
1766 she sold them to John Bond of Crutched
Friars, merchant, and Sarah his wife, (ref. 128) who were
responsible for their development. In 1778 they
obtained a building Act (ref. 128) and let the ground
in small plots and the present Bondway, Miles
Street, Parry Street and Wyvil Road were laid
out to form a neat residential area. The houses
erected under the building leases were provided
with long gardens (ref. 129) and a proprietary chapel
(now St. Anne's Church) was erected to meet the
spiritual needs of the increased population. The
subsequent incursions of the London and South
Western Railway Company have completely
altered the character of the neighbourhood.
St. Anne's Church, South Lambeth Road
Fig. 19, plot 12
This church stands on the site of South Lambeth
Chapel which was built in 1793 (Plate 13c).
On January 9 of that year John and Sarah Bond
granted a lease for 99 years of land fronting South
Lambeth Road to certain local inhabitants, for
the erection of a proprietary chapel. (ref. 130) The committee
appointed to supervise its erection included
John Dollond, the optician, Philip Buckley,
James Gubbins and Sir Charles Blicke, who all
had interests in the development of the vicinity. (ref. 131)
The members of the committee decided to limit
the cost of the chapel to £3,000, including the
furniture and ornaments, and this sum was to
be raised by issuing 60 shares at £50 each. Each
share entitled the holder to four seats. Seats not
allocated in this way (there was accommodation
for about 600 persons and no seats were free)
were let only to persons approved by the proprietors.
For the governing of the chapel's
affairs a committee of six was elected. The
minister was chosen by the rector of St. Mary's,
Lambeth, but his salary of £40 a year was paid
by the proprietors. (ref. 130)
After the building of the Nine Elms railway
terminus and the works of the Phoenix Gas
Company, most of the wealthy proprietors moved
away from the district and the prosperity of the
chapel declined. (ref. 132) The building was badly
damaged by fire in 1856 (ref. 133) and the committee
tried to persuade the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
to persuade the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
to purchase the building for a parish
church. (ref. 132) The Commissioners eventually bought
the freehold interest of the chapel, and the building
was consecrated as St. Anne's Church on February
3, 1869, (ref. 134) on the understanding that it
would soon be altered and enlarged. The present
church (Plate 13d) was erected in 1876 to the
designs of R. Parkinson (ref. 135) and consecrated in
the same year on December 19. (ref. 134) It was built
in quasi-Romanesque style, in stock brick diapered
with red brick, and with stone dressings. The
body of the church is plain, with an apse at the
east end. At the north-east corner stands an
unfinished tower with a semi-circular stair projection.
The entrance is at the base of the tower
on the Miles Street frontage. As a result of war
damage in 1941 the church has not been used
for some years, but it is hoped that restoration
will begin in 1956.
Wyvil Primary School, Wyvil Road
Fig. 19, plot 14
This school was built by the London School
Board and opened on January 8, 1877. The architect
was E. R. Robson. The contractors were
Hill, Higgs, and Hill of South Lambeth Road,
and their tender for a school for 828 children was
for £7,782. (ref. 136) The building has been remodelled
and extended. It has three storeys and is built of
stock brick; the north and south elevations are
symmetrically arranged and finished with gables,
those on the south being flanked by short towers.
Tate Free Libary, South Lambeth Road
Fig. 19, plot 16
This building and its site were provided by
(Sir) Henry Tate at a total cost of nearly £6,000.
The architect was Sidney R. J. Smith, and the
builder B. E. Nightingale. The library was
opened by A. J. Mundella, M.P., in 1888. (ref. 137)
It occupies a three-storey building built of red
brick with Portland stone dressings, and is sited
with its principal axis equiangular with Wilcox
Road and South Lambeth Road. The semicircular
projecting porch at the road junction is
supported by caryatides and telemones. A pedimented
bay sets forward over the entrance and is
flanked by two short towers each with a lantern
termination. The building has single-storey wings
and all the roofs are slated.
Figure 26.:
No. 274 South Lambeth Road, 1791–2. Lessee, William Burrows, Plasterer
Nos. 268–274 (Even) South Lambeth Road
Formerly Nos. 248–254 (even) South Lambeth Road
Fig. 19, plot 22
In 1791 Crooked Bridge Field was let by
John and Sarah Bond on building lease to William
Burrows of South Lambeth, plasterer, (ref. 138) who
erected these houses on the site. No. 274, Beulah
House, is a well-proportioned three-storey house
with single-storey wings (fig. 26). The wings
and central Ionic porch have been altered or
rebuilt sympathetically. The modelled keystones
to the arches in the wings are almost certainly
of Coade's artificial stone (Plate 70d and 70f); they
are very similar to the keystones on Nos. 362–366
Kennington Road. The house was first leased
in 1798 to Horatio Clagett. (ref. 138) From 1825 until
his death in 1849 (ref. 78) it was occupied by John
Poynder, clerk and solicitor to Bridewell Hospital.
He was the author of several theological
tracts and “Literary Extracts from English and
other Works, collected during Half a Century”.
He was also a stock-holder in the East India
Company, and as a result of his passionate campaigning
the practice of suttee was in 1829
declared to be punishable as culpable homicide. (ref. 103)
In 1852 a lease of the house and premises, including
a wash-house, laundry and drying ground in
the rear, was obtained by Thomas Cook, William
Hill and Henry M. Rogers, “scourers”. (ref. 138) The
premises are still used by Rogers and Cook,
Ltd.
Stockwell Baptist Church, South Lambeth Road
Fig. 19, plot 22
This church with its ancillary buildings also
stands on part of Crooked Bridge Field. (ref. 139) It was
founded and erected in 1866 by James Stiff, the
pottery manufacturer, who had a factory in High
Street, Lambeth. (ref. 140) The church is built of yellow
stock brick and has an ill-proportioned front
composed of a deep tetrastyle Corinthian portico
with flanking pavilions pilastered at the corners.
A dentilled pediment surmounts the portico, and
the entablature is carried in a simplified form
across the pavilions. The portico has a cement
finish.