Old Houses in Drury Lane (1875) by William R. Richardson
The street originated as an early medieval lane referred to in Latin as the Via de Aldwych, which probably connected St. Giles Leper Hospital with the fields of Aldwych Close, owned by the hospital but traditionally said to have been granted to the Danes as part of a peace treaty with King Alfred the Great in Saxon times. It acquired its name from the Suffolk barrister Sir Robert Drury, who built a mansion called Drury House on the lane around 1500. After the death in 1615 of his great-great-grandson, another Robert Drury, the property passed out of the family. It became the London house of the Earl of Craven, then a public house under the sign of his reputed mistress, the Queen of Bohemia. Subsequently, the gardens and courtyards of the house were built over with rows of small houses. The remains of the house itself, which had been progressively demolished, were finally cleared in 1809. By this time, Drury Lane had become one of the worst slums in London, dominated by prostitution[1] and gin palaces. The area was eventually cleared to make way for the developments of Kingsway and Aldwych.[2]
The term "Drury Lane" is often used to refer to the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, which has in different incarnations been located in the street since the 17th century, even though today the main entrance is on Catherine Street. Also in Drury Lane is the Gillian Lynne Theatre.[4] 173 Drury Lane was the location of the first J Sainsbury store. The store was opened in 1869 and the company is now one of the UK's largest retailers.[5]
^Sir Richard Steele in The Tatler (No. 46) gives a picture of Drury Lane as a district divided into particular "ladyships," analogous to "lordships" in other places, "over which matrons of known ability preside."
^Bebbington, Gillian (1988) [1972]. Street Names of London. Batsford. p. 115. ISBN978-0-7134-5449-9.
^I. Opie and P. Opie, The Singing Game (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1985), pp. 379–82.
^"Gillian Lynne Theatre | Official Box Office". LW Theatres. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
^Covent Garden and Holborn Young Trails - Camden Council, 2006 (booklet)
drury, lane, other, uses, disambiguation, street, eastern, boundary, covent, garden, area, london, running, between, aldwych, high, holborn, northern, part, borough, camden, southern, part, city, westminster, part, london, west, theatreland, looking, south, fr. For other uses see Drury Lane disambiguation Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London running between Aldwych and High Holborn The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster Drury Lane is part of London s West End Theatreland Drury Lane looking south from Long Acre towards AldwychDrury Lane and surrounding streets Contents 1 Notable landmarks 2 See also 3 Notes 4 External linksNotable landmarks edit nbsp Old Houses in Drury Lane 1875 by William R RichardsonThe street originated as an early medieval lane referred to in Latin as the Via de Aldwych which probably connected St Giles Leper Hospital with the fields of Aldwych Close owned by the hospital but traditionally said to have been granted to the Danes as part of a peace treaty with King Alfred the Great in Saxon times It acquired its name from the Suffolk barrister Sir Robert Drury who built a mansion called Drury House on the lane around 1500 After the death in 1615 of his great great grandson another Robert Drury the property passed out of the family It became the London house of the Earl of Craven then a public house under the sign of his reputed mistress the Queen of Bohemia Subsequently the gardens and courtyards of the house were built over with rows of small houses The remains of the house itself which had been progressively demolished were finally cleared in 1809 By this time Drury Lane had become one of the worst slums in London dominated by prostitution 1 and gin palaces The area was eventually cleared to make way for the developments of Kingsway and Aldwych 2 The Muffin Man resided on Drury Lane according to the famous nursery rhyme 3 The term Drury Lane is often used to refer to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane which has in different incarnations been located in the street since the 17th century even though today the main entrance is on Catherine Street Also in Drury Lane is the Gillian Lynne Theatre 4 173 Drury Lane was the location of the first J Sainsbury store The store was opened in 1869 and the company is now one of the UK s largest retailers 5 See also editColley Cibber Covent Garden List of eponymous roads in London The Muffin Man Restoration comedyNotes edit Sir Richard Steele in The Tatler No 46 gives a picture of Drury Lane as a district divided into particular ladyships analogous to lordships in other places over which matrons of known ability preside Bebbington Gillian 1988 1972 Street Names of London Batsford p 115 ISBN 978 0 7134 5449 9 I Opie and P Opie The Singing Game Oxford Oxford University Press 1985 pp 379 82 Gillian Lynne Theatre Official Box Office LW Theatres Retrieved 13 December 2021 Covent Garden and Holborn Young Trails Camden Council 2006 booklet External links edit nbsp Wikisource has the text of the 1905 New International Encyclopedia article Drury Lane The Strand northern tributaries Drury Lane and Clare Market Old and New London Volume 3 1878 pp 36 44 Date accessed 18 March 2007 Drury Lane In Their Shoes Drury Lane history resource51 30 54 N 0 07 22 W 51 51500 N 0 12278 W 51 51500 0 12278 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Drury Lane amp oldid 1171956008, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
