Thank you so much for this post! Wonderful details, Katie, and excellent photography by you! Thank you. Thanks so much for the post. Reminds me of visiting the Veersswamy restaurant. Whilst normally beyond my means the little known Saturday buffet was reasonably priced and gave access to a lovely 1st floor room with vi of Regent St. The County Fire Office you highlight was, in the fairly recent past 70s, 80s etc , a Barclays Bank branch my branch.
The bank has moved a few yards to sit under the neon signs literally on the circus itself. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Short History of Regent Street. County Fire Office. The whole scene is full of images of trade and exchanging luxury goods. That old prince of gossips, Horace Walpole, writes thus to Miss Berry, and her sister, in —"Though London increases every day, and Mr.
Herschel fn. I have twice been going to stop my coach in Piccadilly and the same has happened to Lady Ailesbury , thinking there was a mob, and it was only nymphs and swains sauntering or trudging. T'other morning, i. Indeed, the town is so extended, that the breed of chairs is almost lost; for Hercules and Atlas could not carry anybody from one end of the enormous capital to the other. How magnified would be the error of the young woman at St.
Helena, who some years ago said to the captain of an Indiaman, 'I suppose London is very empty when the India ships come out. And again, in the same letter: "There will soon be one street from London to Brentford—aye, and from London to every village within ten miles round. London is, I am certain, much fuller than ever I saw it. I have twice this spring been going to stop my coach in Piccadilly, to inquire what was the matter, thinking there was a mob: not at all; it was only foot-passengers.
The origin of the name of Piccadilly is wrapped in obscurity, and has frequently been discussed in Notes and Queries , and in other quarters. Peter Cunningham and Mr. John Timbs, among modern antiquaries, have started the inquiry as to its derivation rather than solved it; and we must be content to believe, with them, that the street gradually took its name from a place of amusement, spoken of in the preceding chapter as formerly standing at its eastern or town end, styled Piccadilly Hall, which in its turn was so styled after the ruffs, called "pickadils," or "peccadillos," worn by the gallants of the reign of James I.
Timbs observes, resembled spear-heads, or "picardills," a diminutive of the Spanish and Italian word pica Latin spica a spear. Ben Jonson writes, in his "Underwoods:"— "And then leap mad on a neat pickardill. Robert Bell appends a note to the effect that the latter word is the name of " a stiff collar, or ruff, generally with sharp points, and derived from 'picca,' a spear-head.
The ruff came into fashion, as we see by contemporary portraits, early in the reign of James I. Was it, as is sometimes said, because the man who built it—one Higgins, a draper—made his fortune by the sale of "pickadils" when they were the height of fashion?
Then, again, an old writer, Blount, in his "Glossographia," interprets the word as denoting "the round hem about the edge or skirt of a garment, or a stiff collar or band for the neck and shoulders;" whence Butler, in his "Hudibras," styles the collars in the pillory "peccadilloes. Pennant, again, has another derivation to offer, suggesting that it comes from a sort of cakes or turnovers called "piccadillas," which were sold in the fields about here. Whatever the connecting link may be, however, it is clear that the name, as applied to these parts, dates from the sixteenth century; for Gerard, in his "Herbal," published in , speaks of the small wild buglosse which grows upon the dry ditch-banks about "Pickadilla.
It has preserved its name uncorrupted; for Barnabe Rich, in his 'Honesty of the Age," has this passage on ' the body-makers that do swarm through all parts, both of London and about London. The name Piccadilly is found written in a variety of ways. Akerman, in his work on "London Tradesmen's Tokens," enumerates eleven different specimens, in the shape of copper coins, which bear date, "Piccadily," between and Some of these are issued by grocers, some by "sea-coal" dealers, and others apparently by the keepers of forges.
They do not agree in their orthography, for the name is spelt "Peckadille," "Pickedila," "Pickadilla," and other ways. The first thoroughfare bearing the name of Piccadilly, says Mr.
Peter Cunningham, was a very short line of road, running no further west than the foot of Sackville Street; and the name Piccadilly Street occurs, for the first time, in the rate-books of St. Martin's, under the year The Green Park, opposite, was shut in by a brick wall, in which, however, were inserted, here and there, some "benevolent" railings, to enable the passers-by to catch a glimpse of the trees inside.
The first mansion built along Piccadilly was Goring House, which stood on what is now Arlington Street; it was bought by Bennett, Lord Arlington, after whom both Bennett and Arlington Streets were named. This negatives the hackneyed story of Lord Burlington having chosen the site of his mansion so far out of town that no one could build beyond him. Immediately to the east were the house and garden of the Earl of Sunderland, the treacherous minister of James II.
Beyond Clifford Street was built Bond Street, which took its name from the family of a baronet, now extinct, who owned the ground. But New Bond Street was still an open field, called Conduit Mead, from one of the conduits which supplied that part of the town with water, and from which Conduit Street, adjoining, derived its name. All beyond was open ground, a receptacle for dunghills, and every kind of refuse. Oxford Street was then built on the south side, as far as Swallow Street now absorbed in Regent Street , but almost unbuilt on the north side.
It was a deep hollow road, full of sloughs, with here and there a ragged house, the lurking-place of cut-throats. The head-quarters of the fashionable world, as lately as the beginning of the reign of George IV. Hence, a witty personage, when giving advice to a rich country friend as to how to make a good show in London, says—"Hire a house in the purlieus of ton , and take care That it stands in a street near some smart-sounding square, Such as 'Hanover,' 'Grosvenor,' or 'Portman,' at least.
In fact, at that date Belgravia was a swamp, and its squares were cabbage-gardens. Near the eastern extremity of Piccadilly the thoroughfare is intersected by Regent Street, which commences at Waterloo Place, and proceeds northward for nearly a mile.
It crosses Piccadilly, by a circus, to the County Fire Office, whence it passes to the north-west by a curved road, called the Quadrant, and then again in a direct line northward, crossing Oxford Street to Langham Place. On the whole, this street—at all events, in its lower parts—follows the line of Swallow Street, which it superseded.
To judge from its appearance, as preserved to us in the prints of the time, the latter was a long, ugly, and irregular thoroughfare. The tradition is that it bore a reputation by no means good, and contained, among its other houses, a certain livery-stable, which in the last century was a noted house-of-call for highwaymen.
Of the appearance of this district in the last year of the reign of Charles II. Three or four hundred yards to the south were the garden-walls of a few great houses, which were considered as quite out of town. On the west was a meadow, renowned for a spring, from which, long afterwards, Conduit Street was named. On the east near where now stands Golden Square was a field not to be passed without a shudder by any Londoner of that age. There, as in a place far from the haunts of men, had been dug, twenty years before, when the great plague was raging, a pit into which the dead-carts had nightly shot corpses by scores.
It was popularly believed that the earth was deeply tainted with infection, and could not be disturbed without imminent risk to human life. No foundations were laid there till two generations had passed without any return of the pestilence, and till the ghastly spot had long been surrounded by buildings. It may be added, that the 'pest-field' may still be seen marked in maps of London as late as the end of the reign of George I.
The County Fire Office, which stands at the commencement of the Quadrant, was built from the designs of Mr.
It is a stately pile, of the Composite order, with a rustic basement and arcade, above which rise six three-quarter columns, and pilasters at the angles, supporting the entablature; the latter is surmounted by a balustrade and parapet, on the centre of which is a colossal figure of Britannia, standing with her spear and shield, and at her side the British lion couchant. The Quadrant had, originally, a Doric colonnade on either side, projecting over the foot-pavements. The columns—some in number—were of castiron, sixteen feet high, exclusive of the granite plinth, and supported a balustraded roof.
The effect of this novel piece of street architecture was generally considered as very fine and picturesque. The colonnades, however, in consequence of the darkness which they imparted to the shops, were removed in , at which time a balcony was added to the principal floor. In the centre of the Quadrant, on the south-west side, is one of the entrances to the St.
James's Hall. Cyrus Redding fixes the Quadrant as the scene of the following incident. He writes in his "Recollections:"—"Campbell and myself set off one morning to walk to Dulwich College, to see the pictures and dine. We were passing along the Quadrant, when we met Sir James Mackintosh, looking serious.
When Sir James had passed on, I could not help remarking I thought he would be the next to depart—he looked so ill. My surmise was confirmed. It was not long before I visited his resting-place, with his daughter, in Hampstead churchyard. Campbell became too disturbed in his mind to proceed to Dulwich, and a walk we had often talked about was never taken. The long vista of Regent Street, as seen from the Quadrant, is very fine, exhibiting, as it does, a remarkable variety of architectural features.
It was erected principally from the designs of Mr. John Nash, who deserves to be remembered as the author of this great metropolitan improvement; and it was named from the architect's patron, the Prince Regent. The expenditure of the Office of Woods and Forests in its construction was a little in excess of a million and a half.
Of course, being a thoroughfare of so recent a date, having been commenced in , Regent Street has scarcely a back history for us to record here, like Pall Mall and St. James's Street. It belongs to "new," and not to "old" London. The plaster fronts of the houses have given rise to some severe criticism, and the perishable nature of the brick and composition of which the houses in this street are built, gave rise to the following epigram in the Quarterly Review for June, — "Augustus at Rome was for building renown'd, And of marble he left what of brick he had found; But is not our Nash, too, a very great master?
He finds us all brick, and he leaves us all plaster. Regent Street is full of handsome shops, and during the afternoon, in the height of the London season, is the very centre of fashion, and with its show of fine carriages, horses, and gay company, forms one of the most striking sights of the metropolis. At the close of the London season " everybody who pretends to be anybody" goes away from town, and the West-end becomes comparatively a desert.
Albert Smith remarks, in his "Sketches of London Life and Character"—" The thousands who leave London make no difference to the stream of life that daily flows along its business thoroughfares; but Regent Street assimilates to Pompeii in its loneliness.
There are no more lines of carriages at the kerb; no concert programmes at the music-shops; nor bouquets and lap-dogs on the pavements. Men run in and out of their clubs in a shy and nervous manner, as though they were burrows; not caring to be seen, and inventing lame reasons for their continuance in London. You may wander all round Eaton Square without finding a single window lighted up, or meeting one carriage rolling along, with its lamps like two bright eyes, to a party.
All have departed—the handsome girls to recruit their somewhat jaded strength, and recover from the pallor induced by late hours and the thousand fretting emotions of society; the men to shoot, and ride, and sail; the heads of the families to retain their caste, because it is proper to do so; but all to get away as soon and as fast as they can, when Parliament is prorogued, and the grouse are reported to be ready for slaughter. On the east side, about half way up, near Chapel Court, stood "Archbishop Tenison's Chapel," so called after its founder, who conveyed this chapel, or "tabernacle," to certain trustees one of whom was the great Sir Isaac Newton , as a chapel of ease, or "oratory," for the parish of St.
The archbishop added to it an endowment for two "preachers," as also for a "reader" or chaplain, to say prayers in it twice daily, and for a schoolmaster to teach sundry poor boys of the parish to read, write, and cast accounts. The chapel was opened in It was re-fronted when Regent Street was built; but about the year , its endowment not being adequate to its maintenance, the west end of the building was cut off and turned into shops.
Higher up, on the same side of the street, a certain M. Foubert had, in the reign of Charles II. Evelyn writes in his "Diary," under date September 17, , that M. Foubert had "lately come from Paris for his religion, and resolved to settle here. On the site of Foubert's academy had previously stood the mansion of the Countess of Bristol.
In this street was the publishing office of Mr. James Fraser, the starter and proprietor of Fraser's Magazine. It's named after the Prince Regent Report a problem with this article. X close. Londonist in your inbox Plan your day ahead or read the day's London headlines with our daily emails. Get Londonist in your inbox The best things to do in London. I would also like to receive the Best Of Londonist weekly email, sent Sunday morning I would also like to receive Things To Do in London: The Daily Guide weekday picks sent every day at 4pm for the next day Thank you, your preferences have been saved.
Follow Londonist Londonist. Follow londonist. Report a problem Something wrong with this article? Let us know here. Thank you, your feedback has been noted. In the last two centuries, the Street may have evolved, but its Grade II listed facades continue to represent some of the most distinguished architecture in London.
Between the ss, the vibrant street was rebuilt and modernised, in order to update it with the changing fashion scene and building techniques. The Regent Street seen today is the result of this redevelopment, and is a shining example of the Beaux Arts approach to urban design. Every building was finished in Portland stone, which has now become symbolic of this part of London, and the works were finished in after being delayed by the First World War.
Regent Street underwent a second redevelopment during the s; after all, while the Street takes inspiration from its unique heritage and exciting, complicated history, it is also keen to look to the future. The streets surrounding Regent Street also have a wealth of culture and history; Heddon Street, for example, has become almost a shrine to the late David Bowie, after the singer posed in front of 23 Heddon Street to launch his legendary persona, Ziggy Stardust.
Heddon Street itself is a foodie haven, while nearby Mortimer Street has become the perfect spot for wellness seekers. Regent Street is also perfectly positioned to be a hub of activity, thanks to its proximity to Oxford Street, the theatre district, Soho and Covent Garden.
The brand had wanted a flagship store on Regent Street for some time, but only recently found the perfect site.
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