17 Facts About Pickering Place, London
It was cute, old, and full of history, Pickering Place, a small (the smallest) London square just off St James's Street.
Wanna know more, here ya go:
- The courtyard is the covered remains of a garden that existed when houses were first built here in the mid-1660s when the Earl of St Albans secured a lease from King Charles II.
- It was originally called Stroud’s Court.
- In 1731, some of the nearby houses and tenements were demolished.
- By 1734 it was renamed Pickering Court, after William Pickering, and contained the five current dwellings, with his family living at No.5.
- Pickering was a coffee merchant and son-in-law of Widow Bourne, founder of Berry Bros & Rudd Ltd wine merchants, whose shop still operates on the premises.
- The passageway from the street still has it's original 18th century wood panelling.
- The square was renamed Pickering Place in 1810.
- It is the smallest square in London.
- The square is Grade II listed.
- This is the last known place in London where a duel was fought.
- It was home to the Texan Republic’s legation, similar to an embassy but smaller.
- When Texas joined the USA in 1845 it abandoned the place and left an unpaid rent bill of £160 to its landlords at Berry Bros. In 1986 a group of Texans travelled to London to repay the debt of their forefathers.
- In the 18th century it was notorious for its gambling dens, bear baiting and duels.
- Beau Brummel, close friend to King George IV and inventor of the cravat, once fought here.
- It’s still lit by gas light.
- The author Graham Greene lived here and based his character Colonel Daintry, from The Human Factor, in a flat here.
- Lord Palmerston, the former UK Prime Minister lived here.
Sources:
Firstly and foremostly Joolz Guides most excellent Rather Splendid London Walks Book.
And then:
- https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Pickering-Place/
- https://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/Attraction_Review-g186338-d19770201-Reviews-Pickering_Place-London_England.html
- https://www.londonxlondon.com/pickering-place/
- https://memoirsofametrogirl.com/2017/10/15/pickering-place-london-smallest-square-history/
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