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London Streets and Squares: Dorset

Bride close by. Salisbury Court occupies the site of an ancient palace of the Bishops of Salisbury. Dorset Street and Dorset Buildings carry us back in fancy to the Dorset Gardens Theatre, erected in the grounds attached to the residence of the Earl of Dorset in the early days of the Restoration. Whitefrairs Street marks the western boundary of the monastery of the Carmelites, or White Friars, built in 1245. The whole district of Whitefriars formerly comprised a Sanctuary infested by debtors and lawbreakers; on which account it bore the name of Alsatia, in allusion to the French province of Alsace, long notorious for its intestine strife and political disaffection. Bridge Street is a modern thoroughfare leading to Blackfrairs Bridge and Blackfriars Road, so called from the monastery of the Dominicans or Black Friars established on the site of Printing House Square and the Times office, about the year 1276.

Water Lane was originally a narrow lane winding down to the Thames.

Ludgate Hill derived its name from the old Lud Gate, built by King Lud in the year 66 B.c. on the spot where the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway now crosses this busy thoroughfare. The gate was removed in 1760. La Belle Sauvage Yard was formerly the coachyard of the celebrated Inn of this name. The Old Bailey is a corruption of Bail Hill, which contained the residence and court of the Bail, or Bailiff, from very early times. The Broadway was doubtless considered a fine thoroughfare in the days when London streets generally were so narrow that opposite neighbours could shake hands out of their top-story windows. Friar Street was designated after the Black Friars' London Streets and Squares.

Monastery. Sermon Lane is a corruption of "Shere-moniers' Lane," in which stood the office of the money-shearers or clippers at the time when the Mint was in this neighbourhood. Paul's Chain owed its name to a chain formerly drawn across its northern extremity the while service was held in St. Paul's. Old Change was originally known as "The King's Exchange" on account of the building where the bullion was stored convenient to the Money-shearers' Office and the Mint. Paternoster Row received its name from the stationers who sold religious texts, prayer-books, and rosary beads, formerly called Paternosters in this street.

Ave Maria Lane, Creed Lane, and Amen Corner, being of later date, their designation to complete the religious metaphor was perhaps natural. Warwick Lane stands on the site of a magnificent palace owned by the Beauchamps, Earls of Warwick. Ivy Lane contained the ivy-clad houses of the prebendaries attached to St. Paul's Cathedral.

In Panyer Alley may be seen a curious stone let into the wall of the middle house on the east side, upon which are chiselled the rude figure of a boy seated on a pannier or basket, and this distich : "When you have sought the city round, Yet still this is the highest ground.

August 27, 1688."

Cheapside properly denotes that side of the Cheap where the rich goldsmiths had their shops. The term cheap is Saxon for a market, derived from ceapan, to buy. The Old English spelling of the name of this locality was Chepe. Ironmonger Lane was the regular habitation of the artificers in iron in the reign of Edward I.; Bread Street of the bakers; and Friday Street of the fishmongers who supplied the fast-day markets. Milk Street was the ancient milk market. Gutter Lane was originally Guthurun Lane, after the name of one of its first builders.

Foster Lane contains the Church of St. Vedast (otherwise St. Foster), Bishop of Arras in the French province of Artois, in the time of Clovis.