APPENDIX: THE CHARING CROSS STREET IMPROVEMENTS
The old throughfare from Charing Cross to Westminster was in parts
very narrow. At its northern end it was not much more than 30 feet across,
but it widened out considerably opposite the site of the Banqueting House,
where it surrounded an open grass space on which stood a Cross (the White
Cross). From this point it probably narrowed gradually to the northern end
of King Street, but on the building of Whitehall Palace a great portion of it
was taken by Henry VIII, (fn. 1) and the road was reduced to a width of 40 feet
between the two gates erected by that monarch. King Street itself was
not more than about 30 feet wide. The inconveniences resulting from this
narrowness in the only thoroughfare between the City and Westminster,
where the Law Courts and the Houses of Parliament were situated, were
many and great. The first step taken to remedy this state of affairs was in
1723, when the King Street Gate and the gun platform between the Banqueting
House and the Holbein Gate were removed, and the wall of the Privy Garden
was set back about 80 feet. In 1735 the Act for building Westminster
Bridge was passed. This Act provided for the formation of suitable
approaches, and as a result Bridge Street and Parliament Street (a 60-feet
thoroughfare running parallel to King Street) came into existence. (fn. 2) In
1759 the Holbein Gate was removed (but not by the Westminster Bridge
Commissioners). Before this date, however, attention was being given to the
improvement of the northern portion of the thoroughfare. On 19th
November, 1754, the Office of Works submitted to the Treasury a plan of
a scheme for widening the street on the east side. (fn. 3) On the following day
the Surveyor-General put forward a scheme for widening on the west side. (fn. 4)
In his report he stated that, as the result of a survey, he had found that the
street near the end of Craig's Court was only 33 feet 3 inches "between the
fronts of the houses, out of which deducting about Ft/10 I/6 for the footways
and posts leaves only F/22 In/9, which is only room for two Coaches or Carriages to go abreast or pass one another, and is much too narrow in this part
where the Conflux of these two great Citys meet in their Passage to both
Houses of Parliament and Westminster hall." The scheme proposed the
acquisition of all the houses occupying the frontage from immediately north
of the Admiralty to the corner of the passage into Spring Gardens, and the
widening of the street "to about Sixty foot."
In a further report dated 13th October, 1755, (fn. 5) he discussed the cost
of the two schemes. That on the west side he estimated at £7,778, made
up as follows:
|
| Acquisition of property | £10,104 |
| Less disposal of surplus land | 2,526 |
| 7,578 |
| Cost of demolition above the value of the old materials,
and the cost of clearing the ground and making
good the pavement | 200 |
| £7,778 |
| His estimate of the cost of widening on the east side (fn. 6) was £16,959 8s. 6d.
as follows: | |
| Acquisition of property | £22,612 | 10 | 0 | |
| Disposal of surplus land | 5,653 | 2 | 6 | |
| £16,959 | 8 | 6 (sic) (fn. 7) |
Naturally the former scheme was favoured, and in the following
year an Act of Parliament was obtained (29 George II, c. 38) authorising
the Westminster Bridge Commissioners to widen the streets, avenues and
passages leading from Charing Cross to Westminster, and granting a sum
of £10,000 towards the acquisition of property. The commissioners at
once set to work, and their surveyor (John Simpson) in August, 1756, submitted (fn. 8) a detailed estimate, amounting to £25,344, of the cost of acquiring
the whole of the premises between the main street and Spring Gardens south
of the passage between the two (the site of which is now occupied by the
Mall Approach) and north of the Admiralty, and including a slice of the
Admiralty courtyard, and a shop in front of Lord Dupplin's house south of
the Admiralty. The amount seems to have staggered the commissioners,
and in June, 1757, the surveyor submitted (fn. 9) a revised estimate, amounting to
£13,783, of the cost of purchasing only the houses necessary to allow of a
minimum width to the street of 70 feet. The estimate was approved by the
commissioners, who resolved: (fn. 10) "That the narrow Part of the Street leading
from Charing Cross towards Whitehall shall be Opened and Widened to the
Breadth of Seventy Feet at the least, from the South East Corner of Dixon's
Court on the West Side of the said Street Southwards to the North East
Corner of the Brick Wall belonging to Lord Duplin, which Abutts on the
said Street and Adjoins to the Wall belonging to the Admiralty Office
Yard," (fn. 11) and instructed their surveyor to negotiate for the purchase of all
interests in the property. Although in some cases final legal formalities
had to be deferred for years, owing to the difficulty of coming to terms, the
improvement seems to have been completed by the end of 1758. (fn. 12)
Two other smaller improvements were carried out at about the same
time. By the Act 30 George II, cap. 34, the commissioners were empowered
to widen the narrow passage leading from Cockspur Street to Spring Gardens,
and a sum of £2, 500 was granted to them towards the acquisition of the
necessary property. As a result the passage, which had in one place been
not more than 8 feet wide (see plan in Plate 80), was enlarged to its
present width of about 38 feet by the demolition of property on its eastern
side. The improvement was completed by the end of 1759 or the beginning
of 1760. (fn. 13)
The other improvement concerned the then narrow passage, formed
about 1729 (see p. 113), known as the New Passage (about 12 feet wide),
leading from Charing Cross to Spring Gardens on the site of the present
Mall Approach. By the Act 31 Geo. II, c. 36, the commissioners were
empowered to widen this passage if they should find, after they had completed the main improvement, that "any monies granted by parliament, for
the purposes of the said act, and the incidental expenses thereof, shall remain
in their hands." On 22nd May, 1759, the commissioners had the provisions
of the Act read before them, and having ascertained that "a Considerable
sum of Money" would remain over, resolved to purchase the remainder of
the property lying south of the passage. (fn. 14) Subsequently (18th March, 1761)
they decided to acquire also the property on the north side. (fn. 15) The exact
date when the improvement was completed has not been ascertained, but the
new house on the north side had been built by March, 1765. (fn. 16) The width
of the enlarged thoroughfare was 30 feet.