Axe Yard
Names
- Axe Yard
Street/Area/District
- Axe Yard
Maps & Views
- 1720 London (Strype): Axe Yard
- 1736 London (Moll & Bowles): Ax Yard
- 1746 London, Westminster & Southwark (Rocque): Ax Yard
Descriptions
from A New View of London, by Edward Hatton (1708)
Ax Yard, on the W. side, and near the N. end of King str. Westm.
from A Survey of the Cities of London and Westminster, by John Strype (1720)
Ax Yard, a Place of no great Beauty for Buildings, having a very narrow and ill Entrance, but the Part towards St. James's Park is the best, as enjoying something of Prospect into the Park: The Houses are here much used by Lodgers.
from London and Its Environs Described, by Robert and James Dodsley (1761)
Ax yard, King's street, Westminster. ✽
from London Past and Present: Its History, Associations, and Traditions, by Henry Benjamin Wheatley and Peter Cunningham (1891)
Axe Yard, King Street, Westminster, where Fludyer Street was afterwards built (about 1767), and so called from "a great messuage or brew-house" on the west side of King Street, "commonly called the Axe." This place is referred to in a document of the 23d of Henry VIII., 1531. Sir William Davenant, the poet, according to Aubrey, had cause to remember "the black handsome wench that lay in Axe Yard, Westminster." Pepys opens his Diary (January 1, 1660) by stating: "I lived in Axe Yard, having my wife and servant Jane, and no other in family than us three." They appear to have let out the main part of the house, and lived themselves in the garret.
August 10, 1660.—By the way, I cannot forget that my Lord Claypoole did the other day make enquiry of Mrs. Hunt, concerning my house in Axe Yard, and did set her on work to get it of me for him, which methinks is a very great change.—Pepys.
Samuel Hartlib dated a letter to J. Winthrop from here, September 3, 1661.
In 1663 Bishop Sprat writes to Wren: Now then, my dearest friend, you may recollect we went lately from Axe Yard to walk in St. James's Park, and, though we met not the accomplished person [Cowley] whose company we sought, yet he was enough present to our thoughts to bring us to discourse of that in which he so much deals, the wit of conversation.—Wren's Parentalia, p. 256.
July 20, 1665.—Lord! to see how the plague spreads! It being now all over King's Streete, at the Axe, and next door to it, and in other places.—Pepys.
Act, Anno, 6 and 7 Will. III. (1695) c. 20.—To enable William Wanley, an infant under 21 years, to new build several messuages or tenements in Axe Yard, King Street, Westminster, and to enable his Guardian to make one or more leases for effecting the same.