the Hermitage

Names

  • the Hermitage

Street/Area/District

  • Wapping Street

Maps & Views

Descriptions

from London Past and Present: Its History, Associations, and Traditions, by Henry Benjamin Wheatley and Peter Cunningham (1891)

Hermitage (The) Wapping, immediately east of St. Katherine's, so called, says Stow, "of a hermit sometime being there." In Stow's boyhood there were no buildings thereabouts, but when he wrote large and strong houses had been built by "shipwrights and other marine men" for their own use and "smaller for sailors." Hermitage Dock appears in old maps as a natural creek; it now, as Hermitage Basin, forms the western entrance and basin of the London Docks. Here was one of the six original Penny Post Offices.

The Hermitage Office is in Swedeland Court, near the King's Slaughter-house by East Smithfield.—Delaune, Angliæ Metrop., 1690, p. 346.

Here lived Joseph Ames, the author of the Typographical Antiquities. Cole says that "he lived in a strange street or lane in Wapping;" and Francis Grose gives the exact locality:—

Mr. Ames lived in the Hermitage, Wapping, and kept a very small ironmonger's shop. He was totally ignorant of every language but English, which last, indeed, he did not speak with the greatest purity.—Grose's Biographical Anecdotes, p. 134.

Here was the abode, when on shore, of Lieutenant Bowling.

We parted not without tears ... and he entreated me to write to him often, directing to Lieutenant Thomas Bowling, at the sign of the Union Flag, near the Hermitage, London.—Smollett, Roderick Random, chap. xlii.

Publications associated with this place

  • Atlas maritimus, or The sea--atlas; being a book of maritime charts. Describing the sea-coasts, capes, headlands, sands, shoals, rocks and dangers. The bays, roads, harbors, rivers and ports, in most of the known parts of the world. Collected from the latest and best discoveries that have been made: by divers able and experienced navigators of our English nation. Accommodated with a hydrographical description of the whole world; shewing the chief cities, towns, and places of trade and commerce; with the nature of the commodities and merchandizes of each country; very useful for merchants, and all other persons concerned in maritime affairs. By John Seller, hydrographer to the King. London : printed by John Darby, for the author, and are to be sold at his shop at the Hermitage in Wapping, M. DC. LXXV. [1675]. ESTC No. R13362. Grub Street ID 61469.
  • The English pilot. The third book. Describing the sea-coasts, capes, headlands, straits, soundings, sands, shoals, rocks and dangers. The islands, bays, roads, harbors and ports in the oriental navigation. Shewing the properties and nature of the winds and moussons in those seas; with the courses and distances form one place to another: the setting of the tydes and currents; the ebbing and flowing of the sea. With many other things necessary to be known. Being furnished with new and exact draughts, charts, and descriptions; gathered from the practice and experience of divers able and expert navigators of our English nation. Divided into three parts. The first part. Shewing the nature and properties of the winds and moussons in the navigation from England to the East-Indies, and all over the Oriental Ocean. The second part. Contain [sic] necessary instructions for sailing between England and the East-Indies in the spring and fall. The third part. Describing the sea-coasts, capes, headlands. London : printed by John Darby, for the author, and are to be sold at his shop at the Hermitage in Wapping, M.DC.LXXV [1675]. ESTC No. R473705. Grub Street ID 125172.
  • A pocket book containing severall choice collections in arithmetick astronomy. Geometry. Surveying. Dialling. Navigation astrology. Geography. Measuring. Gageing. By John Seller. Hydrographer to the King. London] : And are sold by him at the Hermitage in Wapping: and at his shoop [sic] in Pope's head Alley in Cornhill. London, [1677?. ESTC No. R15921. Grub Street ID 63816.
  • A pocket book. Containing severall choice collections in Aritmetick [sic]. Astronomy. Geometry. Surveying. Dialling. Navigation. Astrology. Geography. Measuring. Gageing. By Iohn Seller. Hydrographer to the King. London] : and are to be sold by Iohn Seller. at his Shopp at the Hermitage Wapping, [1677?. ESTC No. R183706. Grub Street ID 73510.
  • A pocket book containing severall choice collections in arithmetick astronomy. Geometry. Surveying. Dialling. Navigation. Astrology. Geography. Measuring. Gageing. By John Seller. Hydrographer to the King. London] : And are sold by him [John Seller] at the Hermitage in Wapping: and by John Hills in Exchange Alley in Cornhill London, [1677?. ESTC No. R220989. Grub Street ID 95213.
  • A booke of the punishments of the common laws of England. London] : Invented designed and printed by Iohn Seller and are sold by him at the Hermitage in Wapping, [1678?. ESTC No. R222141. Grub Street ID 96181.
  • Atlas minimus or A book of geography shewing all the empires, monarchies kingdomes, regions dominions principalities and countries, in the whole world by John Seller hydrographr to the King. London] : And are sold at his house at the Hermitage in Wapping, and in popes head Alley in Cornhill Lond, [1679. ESTC No. R13141. Grub Street ID 61266.
  • Atlas Maritimus: or A sea-atlas describing the sea-coasts in most of the known parts of the world. By John John Seller, hydrographer to the King. London : [pr]inted by A[nne]. Godbid and J[ohn]. Playford, for John Seller, and are to be sold by him at his house at the Hermitage at Wapping, and at his shop on the west-side the Royal Exchange, 1682. ESTC No. R30555. Grub Street ID 113394.
  • Barbados almanack for XXX yeares. Shewing the dayes of the month, the suns place. It's riseing and setting, the length of the dayes and night. With a table of the new moones for ye same time also the moveable feasts and other usefull remarques, calculated for the meridian of that famous island whose latitude is 13:10 north, longitude from Pico Teneriff 238 d: (& may very wel serve for all ye Caribe islands) by John Seller. London] : Sold by the author at ye Hermitage in Wapping, [1684. ESTC No. R170233. Grub Street ID 64967.
  • An almanack for the provinces of Virginia & Maryland shewing the day of the month, golden number, dominicall letter, & epact, and a table of the new moons for XXX years. Also the suns place, it's [sic] riseing and setting, the length of ye dayes & nights, and moveable feasts for ever. With severall other usefull remarques calculated for ye meridian of the said provinces. By John Seller. London] : Sold by the author at the Hermitage in Wapping London, [1685. ESTC No. R214976. Grub Street ID 90113.
  • The sea-gunner: shewing the practical part of gunnery, as it is used at sea. And, as an introduction thereto, there is exhibited two compendiums, one of vulgar, the other of decimal arithmetick, with necessary tables relating to that art. To which is added an appendix, shewing the use of a proportional scale, for the ready working of any question in gunnery. And the use of the sea-gunners rule, of an excellent contrivance; containing an epitome of the art of gunnery in it self. Composed by John Seller, Senior. London : printed by H. Clark for the author, and are to sold [sic] by him at the Hermitage in Wapping, 1691. ESTC No. R16510. Grub Street ID 64346.
  • Practical navigation: or, An introduction to the whole art. Containing the doctrine of plain and spherical triangles. Plain, mercator, great-circle sailing; and astronomical problems. The use of divers instruments; as also of the plain-chart, mercator's chart, and both globes. Sundry useful tables in navigation: and a table of 10000 logarithms, and of the logarithm-sines, tangents, and secants. John Seller, hydrographer to the king. The seventh edition, carefully corrected.. London : printed by J. D. for the author at the Hermitage in Wapping and Richard Mount at the Postern on Tower-Hill, 1694. ESTC No. R232799. Grub Street ID 104450.
  • A new systeme of geography, designed in a most plain and easie method, for the better understanding of that science. Accommodated with nevv maps, of all the empires, kingdoms, principalities, dukedoms, provinces and countries in the whole world. With geographical tables, explaining the divisions in each map. By John Seller, hydrographer to the King and Queen [sic]. London] : And are sold by John Seller, at the Hermitage in Wapping, M DC XC IV. [1694. ESTC No. R3578. Grub Street ID 118140.
  • A pocket book. containing severall choice collections in arithmetick. Astronomy. Geometry. Surveying. Dialling. Navigation. Astrology. Geography. Measuring. Gaugeing. London] : Printed for Jer: Seller and Cha: Price at ye Hermitage in Wapping & Phil: Lea at ye Atlas & Hercules in Cheap-side London, [1700?. ESTC No. R16068. Grub Street ID 63953.