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The 'Roman' bath, though not the buildings over it, dates from the early seventeenth century. The Watch House, once belonging to St Clement Danes, looks early nineteenth century in its present form, but there are documents to show that there was a building of this shape (projecting over the Lane) already in 1724, and a St Clement Danes Watch House on the Lane already in 1607. The patch of brickwork at bottom left, directly under the Watch House outer wall, is seventeenth century and the last bit of the old Somerset House still visible above ground level.
Strand Lines
A few doors down from the Adelphi is the pretty building which houses the Vaudeville Theatre.Built in 1870, Henry Irving acted on this stage for a while, as Ronald Bergan's book The Great Theatres of London tells us.
Vaudeville Theatre today.
Interior of the newly-opened Vaudeville Theatre in 1870. Westminster Archives Centre.
Carrying on along the north side of the Strand, heading east towards Fleet Street and away from Trafalgar Square, we reach the Adelphi theatre.
The Adelphi theatre today.
“Adjoining the Lowther Arcade…is the Adelaide Gallery, originally intended as a place of amusement and instruction combined. It was first opened in the year 1830, and named after Queen Adelaide, the consort of William IV [and] thus cleverly sketched by the late Mr. Read more »
Northumberland House was one of the last survivors of the noblemen’s palaces which originally lined the Strand. It stood on the south side of Trafalgar Square at the start of the Strand, and was recognised by its distinctive lion on the top of the roof. This lion is the symbol of the Dukes of Northumberland, and its twin now stands on the gates to Syon Park in West London. It's strange to think that, before the rapid expansion of London, Syon Park would have been considered a country residence in the early nineteenth-century! Read more »
Trafalgar Square has long been associated with national celebrations. The present Queen marked her Silver Jubilee in 1977 with a carriage procession from Buckingham Palace which went through Trafalgar Square and down the Strand.
She followed in the path of Queen Victoria, who was proclaimed Queen at Charing Cross in 1837, and in 1887 marked her jubilee with a procession along the same route.
Proclamation of Queen Victoria at Charing Cross, July 1st 1837. Westminster Archives.
I was talking with my 85 year old Grand mother Dolly Rose Noel nee Julier, who grew up on Austin street Shoreditch.
I mentioned that I was surprised to see tram- lines on old maps of Kingsland and Hackney Road."Oh yes" she said," we used to get on them (the trams) for a penny and stay on all day. The conductor would not chuck us off if we good, and we used to turn the seats for around for him, at the end of the journey, so they'd be pointing the other way at the end of the line."
"So where did you go?" Read more »
I found this aerial Hotel Metropole postcard on a stamps auction website. It dates the postcard 1948. The Strand may be found in the top right hand corner.
