Salisbury Square

Last updated
Salisbury's Square central garden and its north-west buildings in 2018 Salisbury Square, London, January 2018 03.jpg
Salisbury's Square central garden and its north-west buildings in 2018

Salisbury Square is a square in London EC4.

City of London civil parishes Map 1870.png
City of London civil parishes Map 1870.png
Extract from map of the old Anglican church parishes in the 1870s which shows shaded red the western area inside the ancient city walls, and green: other areas of the City of London; the southern projection of St Bride Fleet Street formed the medieval estate of the Bishops of Salisbury which was owned by the Earls of Dorset before the industrial revolution.

History

London map showing Shakespearean theatres.png
London map showing Shakespearean theatres.png
Detailed map of the theatre and the nascent square; the Whitefriars theatre closed before the theatre opened as a legend to the map states. Show all

The square is named after Salisbury Court, by and on part of the land, today the name of the narrow street which leads the square from the north. Salisbury Court was the medieval London house and episcopal court of the Bishop of Salisbury, beside or above which he maintained a well-appointed inn for visitors. [1]

Contents

Between 1629 and 1666 a relatively long-lived theatre stood on its south side. The original building, repaired and altered, became Dorset House, as having been repossessed for Elizabeth I, Salisbury Court was taken by her Chancellor of the Exchequer Richard Sackville, scion of the Earls of Dorset for himself and his heirs. His great-grandson, Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset was the main promoter of the theatre and a patron of performing arts. [1] The grounds and outbuildings of Dorset House, London included the nascent square.

Dorset House and the theatre burned down in the Great Fire of London in 1666. The theatre was replaced in 1671 by the Dorset Garden Theatre, which was built slightly further south to a design by Christopher Wren. The theatre is commemorated by a plaque on the Dorset Rise (east) side of the corporate building on the south side of Salisbury Square. By the early C19 the Salisbury Hotel occupied the south side of Salisbury Square, formerly the site of the Dorset Garden Theatre.

Salisbury Square was the third home to the Cogers debating group of which John Wilkes was one of the founding members. The debating group met at The Barley Mow pub from 1855.

An obelisk currently stands in the middle of Salisbury Square to Alderman Robert Waithman, a draper who became a politician and Lord Mayor of London. The obelisk was funded through public donation and calls Waithman "The friend of liberty in evil times."

Samuel Richardson's printing office was at the northwest corner of Salisbury Square, communicating with the court, No. 76, Fleet Street. Here Samuel Richardson wrote "Pamela," and here, in 1756, Oliver Goldsmith acted as his reader. [2] In 1842 the publisher Edward Lloyd would occupy these premises. The penny weekly romances aimed at the newly literate working classes published by Edward Lloyd (1815-1890) were given the name Salisbury Square Fiction because of their provenance. [3]

12 Salisbury Square also became the publishing address of Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper , founded in 1842. Edward Lloyd’s Daily Chronicle acquired by Lloyd in 1876 also had its headquarters at 12 Salisbury Square. [4] In 1918, when both newspapers were sold to the friends of Lloyd George they had 20% of the national newspaper market. [5]

Related Research Articles

Inigo Jones 16th/17th-century English architect

Inigo Jones was the first significant architect in England in the early modern period, and the first to employ Vitruvian rules of proportion and symmetry in his buildings. As the most notable architect in England, Jones was the first person to introduce the classical architecture of Rome and the Italian Renaissance to Britain. He left his mark on London by his design of single buildings, such as the Queen's House which is the first building in England designed in a pure classical style, and the Banqueting House, Whitehall, as well as the layout for Covent Garden square which became a model for future developments in the West End. He made major contributions to stage design by his work as theatrical designer for several dozen masques, most by royal command and many in collaboration with Ben Jonson.

Marquess of Salisbury

Marquess of Salisbury is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1789 for the 7th Earl of Salisbury. Most of the holders of the title have been prominent in British political life over the last two centuries, particularly the 3rd Marquess, who served three times as prime minister in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset British noble and politician

Lionel Cranfield Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset was an English political leader and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.

Lady Anne Clifford

Lady Anne Clifford, Countess of Dorset, Pembroke and Montgomery, suo jure 14th Baroness de Clifford was an English peeress. In 1605 she inherited her father's ancient barony by writ and became suo jure 14th Baroness de Clifford. She was a patron of literature and as evidenced by her diary and many letters was a literary personage in her own right. She held the hereditary office of High Sheriff of Westmorland which role she exercised from 1653 to 1676.

Knole Historic English country house

KnoleNT is a country house and former archbishop's palace situated within Knole Park, a 1,000-acre (400-hectare) park located immediately to the south-east of Sevenoaks in west Kent. The house apparently ranks in the top five of England's largest houses, under any measure used, occupying a total of four acres.

Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset 16th/17th-century English politician and poet

Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset was an English statesman, poet, and dramatist. He was the son of Richard Sackville, a cousin to Anne Boleyn. He was a Member of Parliament and Lord High Treasurer.

Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset

Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset and 1st Earl of Middlesex, KG was an English poet and courtier.

John Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset British ambassador and sportsman (1745–1799)

John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset, KG was the only son of Lord John Philip Sackville, second son of Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset. His mother was the former Lady Frances Leveson-Gower. He succeeded to the dukedom in 1769 on the death of his uncle, Charles Sackville, 2nd Duke of Dorset. He was the British Ambassador to France from 1784 and returned to England in August 1789 following the escalation of the French Revolution.

Other Windsor, 6th Earl of Plymouth

Other Archer Windsor, 6th Earl of Plymouth was an English nobleman, the eldest and only surviving son of the 5th Earl of Plymouth by his wife and cousin, Hon. Sarah Archer, daughter and eventual co-heiress of the 2nd Baron Archer. He was the sixth Earl of Plymouth of the 1682 creation.

Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset

Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset KG was an English courtier, soldier and politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1621 to 1622 and became Earl of Dorset in 1624. He fought a duel in his early life, and was later involved in colonisation in North America. He supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War.

Dorset Garden Theatre Historic London theatre

The Dorset Garden Theatre in London, built in 1671, was in its early years also known as the Duke of York's Theatre, or the Duke's Theatre. In 1685, King Charles II died and his brother, the Duke of York, was crowned as James II. When the Duke became King, the theatre became the Queen's Theatre in 1685, referring to James' second wife, Mary of Modena. The name remained when William III and Mary II came to the throne in 1689.

Salisbury Court Theatre

The Salisbury Court Theatre was a theatre in 17th-century London. It was in the neighbourhood of Salisbury Court, which was formerly the London residence of the Bishops of Salisbury. Salisbury Court was acquired by Richard Sackville in 1564 during the last seven years of his life when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer under Queen Elizabeth; when Thomas Sackville was created Earl of Dorset in 1604, the building was renamed Dorset House.

Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset

Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset was the eldest surviving son of Robert Sackville, 2nd Earl of Dorset, by his first wife, Margaret, a daughter of the Duke of Norfolk.

The High Sheriff of Monaghan was the British monarch's representative in County Monaghan, a territory known as his bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, he held his office over the duration of a year. He had judicial, ceremonial and administrative functions and executed High Court Writs.

Charles Sackville, 2nd Duke of Dorset

Charles Sackville, 2nd Duke of DorsetPC, styled as Lord Buckhurst from 1711 to 1720 and the Earl of Middlesex from 1720 to 1765, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1734 and 1765. He then succeeded to the peerage as Duke of Dorset. He was also an opera impresario and cricketer.

Lombard Street, London

Lombard Street is a street notable for its connections with the City of London's merchant, banking and insurance industries, stretching back to medieval times.

The High Sheriff of Roscommon was the British Crown's judicial representative in County Roscommon, Ireland from 1575 until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Free State and replaced by the office of Roscommon County Sheriff. The sheriff had judicial, electoral, ceremonial and administrative functions and executed High Court Writs. In 1908, an Order in Council made the Lord-Lieutenant the Sovereign's prime representative in a county and reduced the High Sheriff's precedence. However the sheriff retained his responsibilities for the preservation of law and order in the county. The usual procedure for appointing the sheriff from 1660 onwards was that three persons were nominated at the beginning of each year from the county and the Lord Lieutenant then appointed his choice as High Sheriff for the remainder of the year. Often the other nominees were appointed as under-sheriffs. Sometimes a sheriff did not fulfil his entire term through death or other event and another sheriff was then appointed for the remainder of the year. The dates given hereunder are the dates of appointment. All addresses are in County Roscommon unless stated otherwise.

The High Sheriff of Wexford was the British Crown's judicial representative in County Wexford, Ireland from the 16th century until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Irish Free State and replaced by the office of Wexford County Sheriff. The sheriff had judicial, electoral, ceremonial and administrative functions and executed High Court Writs. In 1908, an Order in Council made the Lord-Lieutenant the Sovereign's prime representative in a county and reduced the High Sheriff's precedence. However the sheriff retained his responsibilities for the preservation of law and order in the county. The usual procedure for appointing the sheriff from 1660 onwards was that three persons were nominated at the beginning of each year from the county and the Lord Lieutenant then appointed his choice as High Sheriff for the remainder of the year. Often the other nominees were appointed as under-sheriffs. Sometimes a sheriff did not fulfil his entire term through death or other event and another sheriff was then appointed for the remainder of the year. The dates given hereunder are the dates of appointment. All addresses are in County Wexford unless stated otherwise.

Buckhurst Park, Sussex English country house and park in East Sussex

Buckhurst Park is an English country house and landscaped park in Withyham, East Sussex. It is the seat of William Sackville, 11th Earl De La Warr.

Holland House Early Jacobean country house in Kensington, London

Holland House, originally known as Cope Castle, was an early Jacobean country house in Kensington, London, situated in a country estate that is now Holland Park. It was built in 1605 by the diplomat Sir Walter Cope. The building later passed by marriage to Henry Rich, 1st Baron Kensington, 1st Earl of Holland, and by descent through the Rich family, then became the property of the Fox family, during which time it became a noted gathering-place for Whigs in the 19th century. The house was largely destroyed by German firebombing during the Blitz in 1940 and today only the east wing and some ruins of the ground floor and south facade remain, along with various outbuildings and formal gardens. In 1949 the ruin was designated a grade I listed building and it is now owned by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

References

  1. 1 2 "History of St Bride's: The advowson - British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  2. Old and New London: Volume 1. Originally published by Cassell, Petter & Galpin, London, 1878
  3. Louis James: Print and the People 1819-51, Penguin Books, 1976
  4. Joseph Hatton: ‘The Father of the Cheap Press’ in ‘Journalistic London’ from Harper’s Magazine, 1882
  5. JM McKewan: Lloyd George’s Acquisition of the Daily Chronicle in 1918, Journal of British Studies, Vol 22, No 1 (Autumn 1982) pp 127-144, Cambridge University Press

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Salisbury Square, London at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 51°30′49″N0°06′23″W / 51.5135°N 0.1063°W / 51.5135; -0.1063