St. Paul's Covent Garden. The Church.87

St. Paul's Covent Garden. The Church.
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Map of the Parish of St. Pauls Covent Garden.
  Map of the Parish of St. Pauls Covent Garden. ]

to waste Ground betwixt Wardour-street and the Backside of Dean-street: Which Ground is designed to be built upon, there being a Street laid out, and some Houses built. Out of which designed Street there is a Passage into Dean's-street, called Crown Court, at present of small Account. Wardour-street hath only the East Side in this Parish, the West being in the Parish of St. James's, which runs from Compton street up into Tyburn Road. In the middle Part, the Buildings are good, but towards the Road, very ordinary and ill inhabited; but on the other Side the Buildings are better.

Crown Court.

Wardour street.

Queen-street fronts Dean street on the West, and Greek street on the East, a Place not very considerable, having on the North Side dead Walls, which generally are dirty and ill kept.

Queen-street.

Frith-street, graced with good Buildings well inhabited, especially towards Golden Square.

Frith street.

Greek street takes its Rise out of King's-street, and falleth into King's Square, and in its Passage receiveth the said Streets, which are crossed by Frith-street. It is well built and inhabited. Out of this Street there is an open Passage for Carts and Coaches into Rose-street, which goeth into Hog Lane. This Street hath some indifferent good Houses; but the greatest Part is taken up for Coach-houses and Stables.

Greek-street.

Rose street.

King's Square, a very large and open Place, enclosed with a high Pallisado Pale, the Square within being neatly kept, with Walks and Grass-plots, and in the Midst is the Effigies of King Charles the Second, neatly cut in Stone, to the Life, standing on a Pedestal. This Square hath very good Buildings on all Sides, especially the East and South, which are well inhabited by Nobility and Gentry.

King's Square.

On the West Side, this Square receiveth a short Street, called King's-Square Street, of small Account: On the North Side it hath a Passage into Tyburn Road, through Charles-street, a Place of no great Note for Inhabitants; and on the East Side it hath another Passage, for Coaches and Carts, into Hog Lane, and so into St. Giles's through Sutton-street, which is but ordinary. Out of this Street is Faulconbergh Court, which leadeth into Tucker's Court, which hath a Passage into Hog Lane.

King's-Square Street.

Charles-street.

Sutton street.

Faulconbergh Court.

Tucker's Court.

Hog Lane, of which the West Side is in this Parish, the other Side being in St. Giles's; a Place not over well built or inhabited. Here the French have a Church, which formerly was the Greek Church, and by many still so called; adjoyning to which are eighteen Alms Houses for so many poor People, belonging to the Parish of St. Martin's; of which, nine have the Allowance of 8s. a Month, and the other nine have 7s. a Month. From thence this Street runneth to the upper End of St. Martin's Lane, passing by Monmouth Street, and other Places, but hath nothing worthy of Note.

Hog Lane.

A French Church.

An Almes House.


St. PAUL's COVENT-GARDEN.

 

THE Ground on which this Parish is built, was formerly Fields, with some thatched Houses, Stables, and such like, which lying in so good a Place, the Owner of the said Ground, (the Earl of Bedford) did think good to make an Improvement thereof, and procuring an Act of Parliament for the making it into a Parish of itself, disunited from St. Martin's in the Fields, did, about the Years 1634, and 1635, begin to pull down the said old Buldings, and clear away the Rubbish, and laid it out into several fair Streets, streight and uniform, which were built with good brick Buildings. About the Centre of the Ground, he caused to be set out a large Square, or rather oblong Piece of Ground, 500 Foot in Length, and 400 in Breadth; and into this Plot of Ground, four large Streets of about 50 or 60 Foot broad, have their Entrance, viz. Russel-street on the West, James street on the North, King's street, and Henrietta street on the West, and the South Side is taken up by the Wall of Bedford Garden: On the North and East Sides are erected stately Buildings for the dwelling of Persons of Repute and Quality, their Fronts standing on Pillars and Arches of Brick and Stone Rustick Work, with Piazzas, or Walks, like those in the Royal Exchange in London, and imitating the Rialto in Venice. Since the first Building, this Parish hath had great Improvements, as well by its Houses as its Inhabitants.

The Beginning of this Parish.

At the Charge and Care of the Earl of Bedford.

Covent Garden Square.

And if we consider this Parish, as to its fine, streight, and broad Streets, replenished with such good Buildings, and so well inhabited by a Mixture of Nobility, Gentry, and wealthy Tradesmen, here seated since the Fire of London 1666, scarce admitting of any Poor, not being pestered with mean Courts and Alleys; likewise its open and large Piazza or Garden, so delighful to walk in: It may deservedly be reckoned for one of the best Parishes in the Cities of London and Westminster, or Parts adjacent. The Parish of St. Martin's (out of which this Parish was taken) begirteth it on all Parts.]

By an unknown Hand this Account is given of the building of this Church.

J. S.


An Account of the Parish Church of St. Paul's Covent Garden, formerly a Part of the Parish of St. Martin's in the Fields.

 

I Find by a Lease granted to the Right Honourable Francis Earl of Bedford, (dated, at his Mansion House in the Strond, the 10th Day of March 1631, in the 7th Year of the Reign of King Charles the First) to John Powel of Little Thorocke, in the County of Essex, Clerk; and to Edward Palmer of the Parish of St. Andrew's Holbourn in the County of Middlesex, Gent. Son of Ed. Palmer, late Citizen and Girdler of London, lately deceased; and John Barrodale of London, Gent. he having let unto the aforesaid Ed. Palmer, the Father, all the Piece or Parcel of Ground of the said Earl's Pasture, called Covent Garden and Long Acre; one of them lying on the South Side of a Parcel of Ground then laid forth for a new Church-yard, containeth in Length, from a Parcel of Ground then let to one William Newton, Gent. on the West Side; another Parcel of Ground then preserved for a Vestry-House; on the East, 180 Foot and 3 Inches of Assize, and in Breadth, from a Parcel of Grounds then laid forth for a Street, Way, or Passage of 50 Foot broad on the South Side of the said Piece of Ground laid forth for the said Church-yard, on the North, 33 Foot of Assize, and all other Conveniencies for Building, to hold for 34 Years to come, from the Date aforesaid, at the yearly Rent of seventeen Pounds and six Pence, payable Quarterly, at or in the Dining-hall of the said Earl's, commonly called Bedford House in the Strand, in the Parish of St. Martin's in the Fields.

The Lease from the Earl of Bedford of the Grounds of Covent Garden, to Palmer, &c.

The abovesaid Edward Palmer the elder, did at his own Charge, erect nine several Messuages or Tenements on the said Ground. Likewise I find, by an Act for the preventing Multiplicity of Buildings in and about the Suburbs of London, and within ten Miles thereof, at the Parliament begun at Westminster 17 September, 1657.

1632, the Church built.

"Provided always, and be it Enacted, That in Regard of the great Charges that Francis late Earl of Bedford hath been at in the building a Church in Covent Garden, in the County of"

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