CHAPTER 17: X—NO. 57, CHARING CROSS AND NO. 15, SPRING GARDENS (DEMOLISHED)
History of the Site.
No. 56, Charing Cross represented the last of the eleven comparatively small "tenements" mentioned on p. 82. We now meet with
a much larger property covering the whole of the space between the high
road and the wall of the Spring Garden and St. James's Park, certainly as far
as the site of The Red Lion, and most probably beyond the parish boundary
as far as the site of Warwick House. In the days of Henry VIII this was
occupied by a tenement with barn and stabling, in lease to Thomas Swallow. (fn. 1)
On 1st August, 1548, the premises were leased (fn. 2) to Ralph "Kyrkeby"
for 21 years at an annual rent of 60s. They are described as situated
together near Charing Cross, and abutting opposite the stone wall of St.
James's Park. On 2nd January, 1559–60, they passed out of the ownership
of the Crown, being included, with other land in St. Martin's, as well as
property in Lincolnshire, Somerset, etc., in a sale (fn. 3) to William Doddington.
In the following year Doddington sold the premises in St. Martin's to John
Tamworth. (fn. 4) By means which have not been ascertained that part of the
St. Martin's property which lay south of the main road (i.e. the original
premises leased to Swallow and afterwards to Kirkby) had before 1579 (fn. 5)
come into the hands of Robert King and Anne his wife. (fn. 6) In the meantime
building had taken place, for a fine of Easter, 1579, (fn. 7) concerns 8 messuages,
8 tofts and 8 gardens, and when in 1617 William King and Mary his wife
sold the property to Sir John Ashfield and Wheathill Audley, it consisted of
10 messuages, 10 cottages and 2 gardens. (fn. 8) In the following year (1618)
Ashfield and Audley sold (fn. 9) to George and Thomas Cole "all those mesuages,
curtilages, stables, barnes, yardes, Innes … and other … hereditamts …
which sometyme were the lands, tents and hereditamts of William Doddington,
and by him conveyed unto John Tamworth, scituate … neere Charinge
Crosse … and nowe are in the severall tenures of Robert Boyd, gent.,
John Bamfeilde, John Baron, Tristram Hyecrofte, and Bartholomewe
Browne."
The portion of the property leased to Boyd (or Boys (fn. 10) ) was the
eastern part, stretching from the site of No. 56, Charing Cross, to beyond
The Mermaid. George Cole endeavoured (fn. 11) to arrange with Boyd's sublessees for the conveyance to each one of them of an estate for 2,000 years
at reserved rents amounting to £60, but they insisted on the conveyance
of the fee simple. This was therefore done, the premises being charged
with perpetual fee-farm rents amounting to £39 10s. during the continuance
of the existing leases and to £58 13s. 2d. thereafter. (fn. 12) In 1621 the Coles
sold (fn. 13) the freehold of the remaining portion of the premises to William
Gamble alias Bowyer ("Bowyeare"), and on or about the same date disposed
of the fee-farm rents mentioned above, also to Bowyer. (fn. 14) The freehold
was subsequently disposed of piecemeal, and particulars are not in every
instance available, but the fee-farm rents had an entirely different history,
which is, however, of comparatively small interest. (fn. 15)
The extreme eastern portion of the property, the freehold of which
was sold to William Clarke in 1618, (fn. 16) comprised a messuage in Clarke's own
occupation, and three cottages adjoining (fn. 17) "betweene the dwellinge house
of John Gilbert, (fn. 18) Taylor, on the East parte and the dwellinge house of
Thomas Marshall, Taylor [see p. 127], on the West parte." Although it
has not been possible to trace the succession of the property from Clarke in
1618 to James Horton in 1738 (see p. 125), there is no doubt that the premises
included the later Bull Head or Buffalo's Head. In the sale of the fee-farm
rents by Gamble alias Bowyer to Price in 1679 they were described as then
or late in the occupation of Nicholas Higmore (Highmore), Thomas
Crawley, Michafer Alferye (Michepher Alphery), Widow Higgs and
Thomas Nason. The last-mentioned is known to have been the occupier
of The Bull Head. How far back the sign goes cannot be said, but it was in
existence in 1636. (fn. 19) There are several references to it by Pepys. (fn. 20) In 1670
it acquired notoriety as the supposed meeting-place of the gang of ruffians,
headed by Colonel Blood, who attacked the Duke of Ormonde, with a view
to hanging him at Tyburn. The deposition of Pretty, the drawer at The
Bull Head, and of his boy Wilson, was to the effect that between 6 and
7 o'clock on the evening of 6th December, 1670, five men on horseback, all
in long cloaks and with swords, stopped at the tavern to drink. About
7 o'clock the duke's coach, preceded by a linkman, passed by, and soon afterwards the men, without finishing their wine, rode off after it. (fn. 21) The story
of how the duke was overtaken close by his own gate at Clarendon House,
was seized, bound and carried off, and how he finally managed to free himself,
and with the help of the porter of Clarendon House, who had followed
him, and other assistance, got safely home, is well known.
It was at The Buffalo's Head that in 1698 Defoe first met Duncan
Campbell (fn. 22) (see p. 72).
Thomas Nason, the earliest known occupier of the tavern, first
appears in the ratebook for 1635, and continues until 1659, when he is
succeeded by Robert Joyner, (fn. 23) whose place is taken in 1671 by William
Baker. The Hearth Tax Rolls for 1660 and 1674 show Joyner and Baker
assessed at 20 and 21 hearths respectively, suggesting a comparatively large
house. Later occupiers were Richard (or Henry) Collett (1680–91), William
Price (1693–5), Thomas Duppa (1696), James Urwin (1697–1703), William
Yoxon (1704–10), John Emery (1712–26), Philip Shirley (1727–34),
Benjamin Church (1735–40), and Bower Church (1741–66). The house is
that shown with a porch in the view of 1740 (Plate 86).
It is in connection with Bower Church that the earliest reference
has been found to the ownership of the property since the transfer to William
Clarke in 1618. On 10th November, 1747, Nathaniel Atkinson and
Isabella his wife, one of the daughters of James Horton "late citizen and
Silkdyer of London," sold (fn. 24) to Church the third part of a moiety of "all
that Messuage … heretofore occupyed as two Messuages … formerly
known by the name … of the Bull head or Buffalo's head Tavern, and now
called … the Cardigan head Tavern, Scituate over against the Mews gate
… now in the Tenure … of the said Bower Church." James Horton's
will (fn. 25) unfortunately does not contain details of his property, but it would
appear from succeeding transactions that he was the owner of one moiety
of The Bull Head. The other moiety does not come into view until 1773, (fn. 26)
when it seems to have formed part of the estate belonging to Thomas Greenhill, late of Bath, mercer. It has not proved possible to trace the connection
either between Horton and Greenhill, or between both and William Clarke
in 1618. Both halves were reunited under George Potter in 1787. (fn. 27)
It will have been noticed that by 1747 the sign of the tavern had
been changed to The Cardigan Head. This alteration had taken place
before 1738, for Hogarth's Night (Plate 111), published in that year,
shows the tavern (on apparently the wrong side of the road, see p. 252)
under that sign. In 1787 a further change is indicated by a
reference (fn. 28) to the tavern as "all that Messuage … formerly called … the
… Buffalo head and afterwards … the Cardigan Head Tavern and since …
the Westmer Tavern or Coffee House." (fn. 29) Before 1795 the sign had been
once more altered and was then The Star. (fn. 30) The ratebooks show that
George Potter's last year of occupation was in 1801. For the next
two years the premises were empty, and on 24th February, 1803, the
Phœnix Fire Office purchased them from the assignees of Potter's estate. (fn. 31)
They were thereupon rebuilt. On 21st December, 1819, the Pelican Life
Office purchased the property, but the Phoenix Fire Office continued to
occupy No. 57, Charing Cross, while the Pelican Life Office occupied No. 15,
Spring Gardens. (fn. 32) The premises were demolished for the formation of the
Mall Approach.
Description of the Structure.
The premises were erected in 1803 or shortly
after (see above) from the designs of J. Michael Gandy (fn. 33) ,
and are shown in Rowlandson's view of 1809 (Plate 117).
The exterior to Charing Cross (Plate 89) had a brick
front with stone dressings, and showed an adaptation of two
orders superimposed. The main floor was divided into
three bays by coupled Doric columns, with Ionic columns
to the floor above similarly treated. Carved features of the
Pelican and Phœnix, both symbolical and decorative, were
situated between the windows on the second floor. The
general architectural effect was marred by the insertion
of modern sheets of plate glass.
The rear, which faced Spring Gardens, had a
stucco front with Ionic pilasters and entablature to the
first-floor stage and flat semi-vases between the windows
over (Plate 90).
Figure 25:
No. 57, Charing Cross and No. 15, Spring Gardens—First floor plan
The interior generally was plain. The staircase had an iron balustrading with a mahogany hand-rail. The front room on the first floor had
a marble mantelpiece with carved ornaments in low relief and a decorative
cast-iron register grate, with a curious revolving fire-guard stamped "Jowett's
Patent." The mantelpiece and grate are now preserved at the Council's
Geffrye Museum in Shoreditch, together with a bay of the iron balustrading
from the stairs.
In the Council's Collection are:
(fn. 34) General exterior to Charing Cross (photograph).
(fn. 34) General exterior to Spring Gardens (photograph).
(fn. 34) Plan of first floor (drawing).