Hercules Road

Last updated

Pineapple public house and view north along Hercules Road. Pineapple Public House, Hercules Road - geograph.org.uk - 453041.jpg
Pineapple public house and view north along Hercules Road.

Hercules Road runs north from Lambeth Road near Lambeth Palace, on the site of Penlington Place, in the London Borough of Lambeth, south London, England. [1] [2]

The road is named after Hercules Hall, which was built by and was the home of Philip Astley (1742–1814), riding instructor, horse-trainer, and acknowledged as the inventor of the modern circus. [3] Performing nearby in an open field behind the present site of St John's Church, Waterloo, Astley realised the advantages of riding in a circle, and thus invented the circus ring. He was a principal among the many performers who made Lambeth a popular entertainment resort at that time.

Historically, Hercules Road is most well known for a former resident, the poet and visionary artist William Blake (1757–1827), who lived in a large house, 13 Hercules Buildings, and his address was Mr Blake Engraver, Hercules Buildings, Westminster Bridge. [4] [5] There is a series of mosaics inspired by Blake in a tunnel nearby. [6] The site is marked with a plaque.

In 1860 the actress and dancer Phyllis Broughton was born at 90 Hercules Buildings. She became a Gaiety Girl who made a fortune from her success. [7]

Hercules Road was a location for the film Passport to Pimlico. [8] At the conclusion of filming, the site had to be returned to the same bomb-damaged state as before, to enable the locals to claim war damage compensation. It is also the setting for Tracy Chevalier's 2007 novel Burning Bright.

The Pineapple public house is located at 53–55 Hercules Road. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Kent Road</span> Road in Southwark, London, England

New Kent Road is a 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) road in the London Borough of Southwark. The road was created in 1751 when the Turnpike Trust upgraded a local footpath. This was done as part of the general road improvements associated with the creation of Westminster Bridge; in effect it was possible to travel from the West End/ Westminster to the south-east without having to go via the Borough of Southwark but could now cross St George's Fields to the junction of Newington Causeway and Newington Butts which is where New Kent Road starts at Elephant & Castle. The route runs eastward for a few hundred yards to the junction of Great Dover Street and Tower Bridge Road, known as Bricklayers Arms, where it joins the original route to the south-east Old Kent Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Astley</span> English equestrian, circus owner, and inventor; regarded as father of the modern circus (1742–1814)

Philip Astley was an English equestrian, circus owner, and inventor, regarded as being the "father of the modern circus". Modern circus, as an integrated entertainment experience that includes music, domesticated animals, acrobats, and clowns, traces its heritage to Astley's Amphitheatre, a riding school that Astley founded in London following the success of trick-riding displays given by him and his wife Patty Jones in 1768. Astley's first competitor was equestrian Charles Hughes, who had previously worked with Astley. Together with Charles Dibdin, a famous author of pantomimes, Hughes opened a rival amphitheatre in London, which Dibdin called the Royal Circus and Equestrian Philharmonic Academy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lambeth</span> Human settlement in England

Lambeth is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area experienced some slight growth in the medieval period as part of the manor of Lambeth Palace. By the Victorian era the area had seen significant development as London expanded, with dense industrial, commercial and residential buildings located adjacent to one another. The changes brought by World War II altered much of the fabric of Lambeth. Subsequent development in the late 20th and early 21st centuries has seen an increase in the number of high-rise buildings. The area is home to the International Maritime Organization. Lambeth is home to one of the largest Portuguese-speaking communities in the UK, and Portuguese is the second most commonly spoken language in Lambeth after English.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Thomas' Hospital</span> Hospital in London, England

St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS teaching hospital in Central London, England. It is one of the institutions that compose the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre. Administratively part of the Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, together with Guy's Hospital, King's College Hospital, University Hospital Lewisham, and Queen Elizabeth Hospital, it provides the location of the King's College London GKT School of Medical Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jubilee Gardens, Lambeth</span> Park in London

Jubilee Gardens is a public park on the South Bank in the London Borough of Lambeth. Created in 1977 to mark the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II, the site was formerly used for the Dome of Discovery and the adjacent Skylon during the Festival of Britain in 1951. A multimillion-pound redevelopment of the park was completed in May 2012, just before the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II and the 2012 Summer Olympics, in order to transform it from a state of grassland to a mature looking park with trees and hills. The re-developed Gardens were designed by Dutch landscape architects West 8. Queen Elizabeth II reopened the gardens in October 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lambeth Road</span> Road in Lambeth, London

Lambeth Road is a road in Lambeth and Southwark, London running between Lambeth Bridge over the River Thames at the western end and St George's Circus at the eastern end. The road is designated the A3203. The borough boundary runs along it from the intersection with King Edward's Walk to Kennington Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St George's Circus</span> Road junction in Southwark, London, England

St George's Circus is a road junction in Southwark, London, England. At its centre, which is now a traffic roundabout, is an historic obelisk, designed by Robert Mylne (1733–1811), in his role as surveyor and architect of Blackfriars Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westminster Bridge Road</span> Road in London, England

Westminster Bridge Road is a road in London, England. It runs on an east–west axis and passes through the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterloo Road, London</span> Main road in the Waterloo

Waterloo Road is the main road in the Waterloo district of London, England straddling the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark. It runs between Westminster Bridge Road close to St George's Circus at the south-east end and Waterloo Bridge across the River Thames towards London's West End district at the north-west end.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwark Bridge Road</span>

Southwark Bridge Road is a road in Southwark, London, England, between Newington Causeway near Elephant and Castle and Southwark Bridge across the River Thames, leading to the City of London, in a meandering route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Fire Brigade Museum</span> Firefighting museum in London, England

The London Fire Brigade Museum covers the history of firefighting since 1666. The museum houses old fire appliances and other equipment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baylis Road</span>

Baylis Road is a thoroughfare in Lambeth, London SE1, England running between Westminster Bridge Road to the South-West and Waterloo Road to the North-East.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Astley's Amphitheatre</span> 1773 London circus theatre

Astley's Amphitheatre was a performance venue in London opened by Philip Astley in 1773, considered the first modern circus ring. It was burned and rebuilt several times, and went through many owners and managers. Despite no trace of the theatre remaining today, a memorial plaque was unveiled in 1951 at its site at 225 Westminster Bridge Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horseferry Road</span> Street in London, England

Horseferry Road is a street in the City of Westminster in central London running between Millbank and Greycoat Place. It is perhaps best known as the site of City of Westminster Magistrates' Court. The ubiquity of the magistrates' court in newspaper crime reports means that the road name has wide recognition in the UK. Other notable institutions which are or have been located on Horseferry Road include Broadwood and Sons, the Gas Light and Coke Company, British Standards Institution, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the Burberry Group, the Environment Agency headquarters in Horseferry House, the National Probation Service, the Department for Transport and Channel 4. The Marsham Street Home Office building backs on to this road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Lying-In Hospital</span> Hospital in England

The General Lying-In Hospital was one of the first maternity hospitals in Great Britain. It opened in 1767 on Westminster Bridge Road, London and closed in 1971. Lying-in is an archaic term for childbirth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St George Wharf</span> Residential development in Vauxhall, London

St George Wharf is a riverside development in Vauxhall, Lambeth, London, England, located on the southern bank of the River Thames beside Vauxhall Bridge. Vauxhall Pier is a calling point for Uber Boat by Thames Clippers riverboats RB1, RB2 and RB6 services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christ Church, Brixton Road</span> Church in London , United Kingdom

Christ Church on Brixton Road in Lambeth SW9 is an Art Nouveau and Byzantine Revival Grade II* listed building built in 1902 by Arthur Beresford Pite for his brother-in-law, Rev William Mowll. The foundation stone of the new church was laid on 13 December 1898 by Princess Helena, and the old church was demolished in 1899. The foundation stone, by Edward Johnston, was cut by Eric Gill in 1902. The church was consecrated by Edward Talbot, the Bishop of Rochester, on 5 December 1902. There is a prominent clock on the exterior of church, probably erected at the time of its construction. The outside pulpit in the south-west corner was designed by Weir, Burrows and Weir and was dedicated on 3 November 1907.

<i>South Bank Lion</i> Sculpture in London

The South Bank Lion is an 1837 sculpture in Central London. Since 1966 it has stood next to County Hall, on the South Bank of the River Thames. It is a significant depiction of a lion, along with the four that surround Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square just across the river.

This is a list of the etymology of street names in the London districts of Kennington and Lambeth. The areas have no formally defined boundaries – those utilised here are Westminster Bridge Road/St George's Circus/London Road to the north, Newington Butts/Kennington Park Road to the east, Kennington Road and Black Prince Road to the south and the river Thames to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phyllis Broughton</span> Dancer and actress (1862–1926)

Phyllis Broughton born Phyllis Harriet Wright became Phyllis Harriet Thomson was a British dancer and actress who was known as a Gaiety Girl. She was awarded £2,500 in a breach of promise case and she then left another at the altar and he devoted the rest of his life to her.

References

  1. Weinreb, Ben; Hibbert, Christopher, eds. (1983). "Hercules Road". The London Encyclopædia . London: Macmillan. p. 374.
  2. "Hercules Road". london-se1.co.uk. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  3. The book of days: A miscellany of popular antiquities in connection with the calendar, including anecdote, biography, & history, curiosities of literature and oddities of human life and character p.474. W. & R. Chambers, 1864
  4. Ackroyd, Peter (1996). Blake. Vintage. ISBN   0749391766.
  5. "William Blake's House, Hercules Road, Lambeth". landmark.lambeth.gov.uk. UK: Lambeth Council.
  6. "10 things to know about William Blake". BBC London . UK: BBC.
  7. Innes, Eilidh (9 November 2023), "Broughton [real name Phyllis Harriet Wright; married name Thomson], Phyllis (1860–1926), dancer and actress", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.62580, ISBN   978-0-19-861412-8 , retrieved 10 February 2024
  8. "Documenting the 'then' and 'now' of movie locations worldwide". ReelStreets. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  9. "The Pineapple". london-se1.co.uk. UK: London SE1.

51°29′48″N0°06′53″W / 51.49667°N 0.11472°W / 51.49667; -0.11472