The History and Antiquities of London, Westminster, Southwark, and Parts Adjacent, vol. 3
Allen, Thomas
1827
The Half-Moon Tavern.
To the north of London-house is an old building, formerly the Half-moon tavern, noted as the place of resort of the most celebrated wits of the century. It has been let for the last years in separate tenements; but the old front, ornamented with small grotesque figures, has suffered very little alteration. | |
The front in is narrow, and contains windows on each floor, projecting from the front in the style so common in the century. The top is divided into gabels, and the whole is painted of a stone colour. | |
On the east side of the street, nearly opposite to London-house, is Shaftesbury, or, as it is sometimes called, Thanet-house. This edifice, which is by the masterly hand of Inigo Jones, is built with brick, and ornamented with stone, in a very elegant taste. The front is adorned with Ionic pilasters, from the volutes of which hang garlands of foliage. These pilasters are doubled on each side of the centre window, over which is an arched pediment, opened for the reception of a shield. The door was arched, and from each side of it branched an elegant scroll, for the support of a balcony. This portion has been modernized. This structure had been let out | |
57 | for mechanical uses, and was going fast to decay, when, in the year , the London Lying-in-hospital was instituted. The promoters of that charity, having hired this house, repaired it thoroughly, and preserved it, for a time, from the fate of its opposite neighbours. The increase of that institution having rendered a larger building necessary, they quitted Shaftesbury-house, in , and were succeeded by the General Dispensary, which still occupies a modern building at the back part of it. The front is divided into tenements, and let to respectable shopkeepers. On the same side, more northward, was another nobleman's house, (Nos. , , ), the duke of Lauderdale's, situate between Cherry Tree-court and Hare-court, and at the time Maitland wrote, tenanted by an eminent distiller. About years ago the distillery was given up, and the building was divided into separate tenements. It is now occupied as a rush and cotton warehouse, and a new medical theatre. |
was formerly called , or Bretagne-street, from the mansion of the duke of Bretagne, which stood near St. Botolph's church, but has been many years destroyed. This street was also the residence of several of our own nobility; the earl of Peterborough's house stood at the corner, where the south pert of Bartholomew's hospital now stands; and the whole east side of the street was occupied by a stately mansion, belonging to lord Montague; the name of which is still preserved in Little Montague court. This place was formerly celebrated for the number of dealers in old books who resided here. | |
The parish of St. John Zachary, is a rectory, the church of which stood at the north-west corner of . The patronage of this church appears to have continued in the dean and chapter of , from its foundation; for it was rated to pay an annual sum to the canons of , as early as the year , at which time it was denominated St. John Baptist's. The site of it is now a cemetery for the use of the parishioners. A portion of the eastern wall of this church remains in the burying ground at the north-west corner of , with the monument of sir James Drax, consisting of busts upon a sarcophagus; it is protected from the weather by a penthouse, and is curious as of the remains of ancient London. This monument is to the memory of sir James Drax, and his lady, named Meliora, daughter to J. Horton, of Wolverston, in the county of Somerset, esq., who brought him sons and daughters; viz. sir James, Henry, John, Samuel, ........, and Joseph; Meliora, Mary, Elizabeth, Pelathia. His wife was Margaret, daughter of Edward Campfield, of Hardington, in the same county, esq.; by whom he had sons. He died . | |
Here likewise was buried Henry Drax, esq., his son, who had wives. The , the lady Frances Tufton, daughter of | |
58 | the earl of Thanet, who died without issue. His , lady Dorothy Lovelace, daughter to the lord Lovelace, of Hurley, in the county of Berks, by whom he had children. He died anno . |
At the north-east corner of stands | |
Footnotes: [] Maitland, vol. ii, p. 764 |