The Fascination of London
HAMMERSMITH, FULHAM AND PUTNEY
[Pg 71]
PUTNEY
By J. C. Geikie.
The first mention made of Putney—styled "Putenhie" in the Conqueror's
Domesday Book, and "Puttenheth" in all subsequent records—is in connection with
the fishery and ferry which existed here at the time of the Conquest. In 1663
the fishery was held for the three best salmon caught in March, April, and May,
but this rent was afterwards converted to a money value. At the sale of Sir
Theodore Janssen's estates the fishery was let for £6 per annum. The rent was
afterwards increased to £8, and a lease upon those terms expired in 1780. Since
1786 this fishery has been abandoned. Mention is also made that occasionally a
porpoise was caught here, and, as a matter of fact, two watermen shot one here
lately; but it was confiscated, and the men fined for discharging firearms on
the river. The ferry at the time of the Conquest yielded 20s. a year to the Lord
of the Manor, and Putney appears at all[Pg
72] times to have been a considerable thoroughfare, as it was usual
formerly for persons travelling from London to the West of England to come as
far as this by water. In Elizabeth's reign it was ordered that watermen should
pay a halfpenny for every stranger, and a farthing for every inhabitant of
Putney, to the ferry-owner, or be fined 2s. 6d. In 1629 the Lord of the Manor
received 15s. per year for the ferry.
In 1726, the twelfth year of George I.'s reign, an Act of Parliament was
passed for building a wooden bridge from Putney to Fulham, which was finished in
the year 1729 at an expense of £23,975, and the ferry was bought up, those
interested in it being paid proportionately. The plan for the bridge was drawn
by the celebrated Mr. Cheselden, Surgeon of Chelsea Hospital. The bridge was 789
feet long and 24 feet wide, with openings for vessels to pass through, the
largest of which, in the centre, was named Walpole's Lock, in honour of Sir
Robert Walpole, who helped to procure the Act of Parliament to build the bridge.
A toll of a halfpenny was charged foot-passengers, and on Sundays this was
doubled, for the purpose of raising a fund of £62 a year, which was divided
annually between the widows and children of poor watermen belonging to Putney
and Fulham as a recompense to the fraternity, who were not allowed to ply on
Sundays after the[Pg 73]
building of the bridge. This bridge was purchased by the Corporation of London,
and by them transferred to the Board of Works, who erected in the years
1884-1886 the present substantial stone bridge on the site formerly occupied by
the aqueduct of the Chelsea Waterworks Company. The approaches on both sides
have been greatly improved, and it is now toll-free.
The parish church of St. Mary's stands on the river-bank adjoining the
bridge, and was originally built as a chapel of ease to Wimbledon, and, owing to
absence of all records, the date of its erection cannot be ascertained, though
it is certainly older than the church at Mortlake (1348), for Archbishop
Winchelsea held a public ordination in it as far back as 1302. The stone tower
is of more recent date, being probably not later than the middle of the
fifteenth century. The church suffered greatly in the dreadful storm which
happened in November, 1703. Facing south on its tower is a sundial with the
appropriate motto, "Time and tide stay for no man."
Pepys makes frequent mention of Putney and the church, and his contemporary
Evelyn also speaks of the village. This place maintained its suburban character
until a few years ago, and it is not long since the High Street was represented
as having one broad pavement lined with stately trees, and a kennel on either
side, by means of[Pg 74]
which the road was watered in summer. From the bridge westward the river has
been embanked and a promenade built and lined with seats, and this is a
favourite spot on warm summer evenings. At the far end of this broad road are
the boat-houses of the London, Thames, Leander, and other well-known clubs,
mostly of brick, with dressing-rooms upstairs and wide balconies giving fine
views of the river. Some boat-building and oar-making also is to be found here,
as this is the headquarters of London rowing, and noted for the Oxford and
Cambridge Boat-race. This race was first rowed at Henley in 1829, next from
Westminster to Putney in 1836, and that course was adhered to until 1851, when
that from Putney to Mortlake was adopted, and this, save on three occasions—in
the years 1846, 1856, 1863—has since been the battle-ground of the Universities.
After leaving the High Street at the bridge end, the way to the river-bank is
down what was formerly Windsor Street, but is now known as part of the Lower
Richmond Road; and here on the south side, covering the site of River Terrace,
now torn down, and River Street, stood "the Palace," so called from its having
been frequently honoured by the presence of royalty. It is described as having
been a spacious red-brick mansion of the Elizabethan style of architecture,
forming three sides of a square, with plate-glass[Pg
75] windows overlooking the river, and possessed of extensive gardens
and pleasure-grounds. It was built within a courtyard, and approached by iron
gates. It occupied the site of the ancient mansion of the Welbecks, and was
erected by John Lacey, citizen and clothworker of London, in 1596. Queen
Elizabeth honoured Lacey with her company more frequently than any of her
subjects, and between the years 1579 and 1603 at least twelve or fourteen visits
of hers to this house at Putney are recorded. The house is mentioned as the
headquarters of Fairfax in 1647. In that year, when Charles I. was at Hampton
Court, all the Parliamentary Generals were at Putney. Cromwell was at Mr.
Bonhunt's, the site of which is not known; Ireton at Mr. Campion's (a school in
the occupation of Rev. Mr. Adams when Lysons wrote, and now covered by Cromwell
Place); Fleetwood was at Mr. Martin's; and the other officers at neighbouring
mansions, of which at that time there seem to have been many. Councils were held
in the church, seated round the Communion-table, the officers afterwards
listening to a sermon. Two days after the King escaped from Hampton the army
quitted Putney, having been there some three months.
Facing the river near the Putney Steamboat Pier is a big hotel, the Star and
Garter, for long a landmark at Putney, and recently re[Pg
76]built in all the splendour of red brick and gilt. Beyond this
formerly stood a number of old houses—Clyde House, Riverside House, Thanet
Lodge, Laburnum House, Windsor House, and Point House; these had tiled roofs and
bay-windows, and formed a picturesque group. They have recently been replaced by
large mansions, called Star and Garter, and University Mansions. In Spring
Gardens was formerly a curious collection of the cottages of watermen and
boatmen, but these have now vanished. The lane has been paved and the whole
district altered.
West of this as far as the common many alterations have taken place in the
last few years, and now the market-gardens and fields are covered with street
after street of small two-storied cottages stretching in straight lines from the
Lower Richmond Road to the river. The same applies to the district between here
and the Upper Richmond Road as far west as the London boundary at Northumberland
Terrace. Here stood until recently prolific gardens and orchards, but now the
site is covered with streets arranged as closely as possible, and filled with a
rather better style of dwellings than those to the northward.
Passing west, we come at length to the gateway of the Ranelagh Club at Barn
Elms. From this entrance, with its large gates and porter's lodge, the private
road runs over the Beverley[Pg
77] Brook, and, swerving to the west, enters the park proper. This
manor was given by Athelstane to the Canons of St. Paul's, and is still held by
them. The mansion of Barn Elms was formerly in the possession of Sir Francis
Walsingham, and here in 1589 he entertained Queen Elizabeth. Pepys and Evelyn
both make mention of this place in their diaries, and it was here that the duel
was fought—January 16, 1678—between the Earl of Shrewsbury and the Duke of
Buckingham. The meetings of the Kitcat Club were held here in a room specially
built for the purpose by Jacob Tonson, the bookseller, who lived in a house
formerly known as Queen Elizabeth's Dairy, and died there November 25, 1735. At
present Ranelagh rivals Hurlingham as a social outdoor club, and the merits of
the respective grounds are a matter of opinion.
On the Lower Common, standing out by themselves, are two old houses, Elm
Lodge and West Lodge, in big gardens sliced off the common. The houses are
fancifully painted, and half hidden behind a privet hedge and a row of elms. The
common to the south is bare of bushes, but to the north there are still big
clumps of gorse and brambles, with many straggling trees between. Putney
Cemetery is on the common, and further west that of Barnes is seen. At the
beginning of the Mill Hill Road is an old cottage hidden behind closely-[Pg
78]trimmed trees and a high hedge, the residence of the cattle
gate-keeper, whose duty it was in former years to prevent the straying of
animals from the parish of Barnes into that of Putney. The gate has been
removed, but the place marks the London boundary, which follows the line of the
big ditch due south across the Lower to the Upper Richmond Road.
On the south side of the Lower Common stands a long row of staring Queen Anne
cottages, and at the east end of them the Church of All Saints, in the Early
English style, erected in 1874, with schools close by. Hidden away behind the
church is an old wooden farmhouse, the last of many that formerly dotted these
fields.
Passing eastwards, the Upper Road leads to the Charlwood Road, and across the
railway-bridge the new streets, Norroy and Chelverton Roads, have been made as
far as the High Street through the grounds of The Lawn, an old house which stood
next the Spotted Horse. To the west short roads have been pushed out into the
market-gardens, and north, at the angle, stands the Quill Inn, behind which
Quill Alley, a narrow paved passage skirting the backs of the houses, leads into
a labyrinth of small streets set at all angles and of all degrees of
respectability. There are many newly-built flats on either side of Quill Alley.
Every foot of ground is taken up, and[Pg
79] from the Coopers' Arms to Gardeners' Lane the district is compact
with small houses and shops. Here in Walker's Place, a square of old houses,
with gardens in front, under the shadow of an enormous brewery, was formerly a
little wooden tumbledown inn known as the Coat and Badge. This has been rebuilt;
it was so called from the insignia of the actor Doggett's annual prize for
Thames watermen. At the end of this lane stands an old hostelry, the Coopers'
Arms, and at the end of Gardeners' Lane was another, the Bull and Star, also
rebuilt recently. Gardeners' Lane leads through a closely built up settlement to
the Whirlpool, and here the last remnant of the market-gardens is to be found.
In the High Street, which is fast altering its character, there are one or
two old houses, but the greater number are modern. The Public Library, which is
situate in Disraeli Road, leading off the High Street, was first established in
1887. It is only since 1899 that it has occupied its present building, which,
with the site, was the gift of Sir George Newnes, Bart., M.P., and was opened by
the late Lord Russell of Killowen, Lord Chief Justice of England.
To the east of the High Street the residential part of Putney is built up of
new, clean streets, laid out on the market-gardens and orchards that till
recently occupied most of this district.[Pg
80]
In Northfield Square stood several fine old houses, one of which, Fairfax
House, made way for the Montserrat Road at its High Street end; and another,
Grove House, said to originally have been a convent, and associated by tradition
with the name of Oliver Cromwell, disappeared when the western end of Disraeli
Road was made. The railway-station adjoining occupies the site of some very old
houses, and in the railway-cutting the workmen came upon a sewer, in which were
discovered some silver spoons of ancient date. A Baptist chapel in the Werter
Road, Oxford Congregational Chapel in the Oxford Road, and Emanuel Church in the
Upper Richmond Road, supply the religious needs of the neighbourhood.
Passing along the Putney Bridge Road from the High Street, Brewhouse Lane
runs north to the waterside; on one side are rows of new shops, on the other a
swimming-bath. This lane was formerly one of the principal landings for ferry
passengers to Putney, but to-day is almost deserted. An engraving of Fulham by
Preist in 1738 is evidently taken from the steps, and shows the bridge and
Fulham Church. From this landing a fine view is to be had of Putney Bridge;
upstream and downstream is seen the big iron lattice bridge that carries the
District Railway over from Fulham on its way to Wimbledon. A soap-boiler's
establishment with several smaller yards makes the[Pg
81] lane busy, but there are still a lot of small cottages—some very
old—of a poor type, and rented for the most part by labourers.
Passing on, the almshouses founded by Sir Abraham Dawes are on the south
side. He was a farmer of the Customs, an eminent loyalist of the reign of
Charles II., and one of the richest commoners of the time. Originally built for
twelve almsmen and almswomen, they have been latterly occupied entirely by
women. The north side of the road is here substantially built up, and the
Deodar, Florian, and Merivale Roads on the Cedars Estate are comparatively new.
Two old houses, Cedar Lodge and Crest House, remain, with Park Lodge at the
corner of the Atney Road, newly fronted, but below the grade of the road. To the
railroad arch which spans the road are built on the north side a row of new
cottages with shops opposite. Beyond the arch at the bend of the road, which is
here narrowed by an old house encroaching on the footpath, is a fine old
mansion, Moulinere House.
Returning whence we came, we pass up the High Street and come to Putney Hill,
which forms a test of the endurance of cyclists.
At the base of Putney Hill stands The Pines, the residence of Swinburne the
poet. Here, where modern villas have risen most recently, and stately trees
fallen most rapidly, stood Lime[Pg
82] Grove, the seat of Lady St. Aubyn. This mansion derived its name
from a grove of limes through which the road to the house formerly led; and it
was here in 1737 that Edward Gibbon, the historian, was born. He was educated in
Putney till his ninth year, when he was sent to a public school at Kingston. It
was on Putney Hill that the following event occurred: When Cardinal Wolsey
ceased to be the holder of the Great Seal of England, and, obeying the mandate
of Henry VIII., quitted the Palace of Whitehall, he removed to his palace at
Esher. Embarking at Whitehall Stairs, he went by water to Putney, and started up
the hill, but was overtaken by one of the royal Chamberlains, Sir John Norris,
who presented him with a ring as a token of a continuance of His Majesty's
favour. Stow tells how Wolsey at once got off his mule unaided, and, kneeling
down in the dirt on both knees, held up his hands for joy at the King's most
comfortable message.
Passing up the hill, a few new streets are being pushed into the fields,
which are, however, still continuous to the westward, the limit of building
being apparently reached for a time in that direction, and, after a short climb
past fine houses with spacious grounds and drives, we come to Putney Heath near
the Green Man, a quaint little road-house of the last century; close by[Pg
83] it is the old cattle-pound. The heath, of some 400 acres,
somewhat resembles that of Hampstead, and from the higher ground some excellent
views are to be obtained, whilst the sandy hollows and surface are plentifully
covered with heather, gorse, and brambles. On the northern side, facing the road
which leads to Roehampton, are many fine houses—among others, Grantham House,
the residence of Lady Grantham; Ashburton House; Exeter House, occupied by the
second Marquis of Exeter, who, divorced from his Marchioness, wooed and won for
his bride a country girl under the guise of an artist; Gifford House; and Dover
House, the seat originally of Lord Dover, afterwards of Lord Clifden, and now
the residence of J. Pierpont Morgan. To the west of the heath lie Putney Park
and Roehampton. Putney Park—styled Mortlake Park in old memorials—was reserved
to the Crown by Henry VIII. Charles I. granted the park to Richard, Earl of
Pembroke, who here erected a splendid mansion, which soon after his decease was
sold, together with the park, to Sir Thomas Dawes, by whom it was again disposed
of to Christina, Countess of Devonshire, whom Charles II. visited at this place
with the Queen-mother and the Royal Family.
Putney Heath is divided by the Portsmouth Road, which starts at the Green Man
and meets[Pg 84]
the Kingston Road at the foot of the hill in Putney Bottom, and facing this road
are many fine houses, as well as the reservoirs of the Chelsea Water Company,
from which water is conveyed to the Middlesex side of the Thames by pipes
beneath the roadway of Putney Bridge.
To the south of the reservoirs is a fine new house Wildcroft, the residence
of Sir George Newnes, Bart., which stands in the grounds of the old Fireproof
House, lately pulled down. This house was erected in 1776 by David Hartley, son
of the celebrated Dr. Hartley, to demonstrate the efficacy of his plan for
securing buildings from fire. This plan consisted in thin sheets of iron and of
copper being laid between floor and ceiling to prevent the ascent of heated air
from the lower to the upper rooms. The lower part of this house was repeatedly
set on fire in the presence, among others, of the King and Queen, the members of
Parliament, the Lord Mayor, and the Aldermen. The House of Commons granted
Hartley £2,500 in aid of the expenses incurred, and the Corporation erected in
the grounds an obelisk—which can be plainly seen from the Kingston
Road—recording the experiments of the grant. The heath was the scene of many
duels, among others, in May, 1652, Lord Chandos and Colonel Compton fought with
fatal issue, Compton being killed. In May, 1798, on a Sunday afternoon, William[Pg
85] Pitt, the Prime Minister, who lived in the Bowling-Green House
close by, fought a bloodless battle with William Tierney, M.P.; and in
September, 1809, an encounter took place between Lord Castlereagh and George
Canning, when the latter was wounded in the thigh. This last duel was fought
near the Admiralty semaphore erected in 1796, the site of which is indicated by
the Telegraph Inn immediately behind Wildcroft. Across the corner of the green
from the inn is Bristol House, which owes its name to the Bristol family, who
possessed it till a few years ago, and which was for some two years the
residence of Mrs. Siddons. A part of the estate has been built on; many handsome
residences have been erected.
Next is a large mansion, Highlands, and west of it is the historical
Bowling-Green House, a low, two-storied mansion painted white, with large
windows, and the Pitt arms over the doorway. In this house, shaded by fine
trees, with a beautiful prospect from the lawn, lived for some years William
Pitt, the Prime Minister; and here, on June 23, 1806, he died. The house derives
its name from the bowling-green formerly attached to it, and for more than sixty
years (1690-1750) the most famous green in the neighbourhood of London. The
house had large rooms for public breakfasts and assemblies, was a fashionable
place of entertainment, and noted for "deep[Pg
86] play." South of this Bowling Green House is Scio, a charming
residence, with beautiful lawns facing the main Kingston Road, in the Gothic
style, and from here the flagstaff and windmill on the heath are noticed. Close
by was the gallows in the olden time, and here it was that one of the last of
the highwaymen—Jeremiah Abershaw—hung in chains in 1795, after suffering the
penalty of the law on Kingston Common, then the place of execution for Surrey.
Being crossed by a main road, this dreary neighbourhood was formerly much
frequented by footpads and highwaymen. Aubrey mentions the gallows near here,
and adds that Roman urns are often found in the dry, gravelly ground.
Putney Heath merges into Wimbledon Common, a fine expanse of 1,000 acres of
breezy upland. The headquarters of the National Rifle Association till 1889 were
in the Windmill, a picturesque landmark seen from far and near; but owing to
increasing danger and the enormous crowds that flocked to the camp it was
removed to Bisley in Surrey. The Windmill was formerly a favourite resort of
duellists. Some distance from the windmill is Cæsar's Well, the most historical
spot on Wimbledon Common, and its water is said to possess medicinal properties.
This common and Putney Heath were in the last century the scene of frequent
reviews. George III. reviewed the[Pg
87] Surrey volunteers here in 1799, as he had previously done the
Guards in 1767; and Charles II., in 1684, also reviewed his forces on the heath.
At the north-west corner of the heath lies the village of Roehampton, snugly
nestling in a valley, and consisting of a small cluster of houses. The centre of
the village is at the angle of Roehampton Lane, where a drinking-fountain, a
gift of Mr. Lyne-Stephens, stands in the road, with the Catholic chapel of St.
Joseph's, approached through a beautiful carved oaken lych-gate, facing it. This
chapel and rectory stand in the grounds of Manresa House, a training college of
the Jesuit Fathers. To the north is a quaint old village inn, the Montague Arms,
flanked by a row of old cottages. Ponsonby Road and Medfield Street are lined
with small houses, for the most part new, very clean, and well kept. The
parochial schools, in two buildings, for boys and girls, are in the Ponsonby
Road on the hillside, and between them is a church, completed in 1899. In the
High Street, which is built up with small shops for a short distance, stands on
the north side, well back from the road, the King's Head Inn, with its wonderful
signboard displayed in the garden, its big, old-fashioned bay-windows, curious
low-ceilinged rooms, and weather-boarded sides, shaded by great elms, giving it
a very picturesque aspect. The gardens, with tables set[Pg
88] out in little nooks, and the stables of the house across the
yard, complete a picture, of which few are to be found near London now. In this
street is one of the buildings of St. Mary's Convent, a red-brick pile used as a
laundry.
Returning to Roehampton Lane, and passing up the rise to the south, we come
to the Alton Road, lined with good houses, and a little to the west the
Bessborough Road falls into it, and runs through a favourite residential
district built up with fine dwellings. Here the hollows made by gravel-digging
on the edge of the heath are being, in a measure, filled up with earth from the
building going on near by, and opposite The Elms, on the brow of the common, a
peculiar tomblike building is noticed. This is merely a spring-house covering
the artesian well that supplies the drinking-fountain in the village. At
Highwood, a solidly-built mansion, we come to the Portsmouth Road, and after
passing several villas, to Kingston Road at the foot of the hill. Here, on the
west side, Richmond Park stretches parallel with the road, the enclosing wall
being so close to the road as to give the houses hardly any garden; still, from
here to the Robin Hood Gate there are many pretty villas, and at Beverley Brook
a row of cottages has been erected close to the wall. On the east side of the
road a new cemetery of the Putney Burial Board is under the[Pg
89] lee of the hill, and beyond are fields stretching southward,
running up to and meeting Wimbledon Common. In the hollow adjoining the main
road is the Newlands Farmhouse to which these acres belong, and adjoining is the
Halfway House, at one time an inn said to have been the favourite drinking-place
of the highwayman Abershaw. Stag Lane leads to the common, and further on
Beverley Brook is crossed, here a narrow strip of Wimbledon Common meets the
highroad. This stream from here, through the park, and across Barnes Common into
the Thames, is the western boundary of London, and by following it we pass
cottages on the right, and may note the beautiful views to the east toward
Wimbledon and Combe. If we turn into Richmond Park through the Robin Hood Gate,
so called from the roadside inn near, we come to one of the prettiest corners of
the park, from which roads diverge in all directions. On the rise to the west is
White Lodge, at one time the residence of the Duke and Duchess of Teck, parents
of the Princess of Wales; and bearing to the right we see the deer-paddock, with
Silver Hill and the King's Farm Lodge. The area of the park is a little over
2,015 acres, and it was formed by Charles I. in the early years of his reign out
of wood and waste land. The wall—eleven miles in circumference—was built without
consulting the owners and tenants of the houses[Pg
90] and farms enclosed. In 1649 this park was given to the City of
London in perpetuity, but was handed back again to Charles II. on his
restoration. The Princess Amelia closed the public rights of way through the
demesne, but in 1758 a decision of the courts renewed this privilege.
Leaving the park on the right, we see Mount Clare, built in 1772 by George
Clive, and named in honour of Claremont, the residence at Esher of his relative
Lord Clive. On the west side of Priory Lane are three mansions, of which one,
Clarence House, was for awhile the residence of the Duke of Clarence, afterwards
William IV. Clarence Lane skirts the grounds of Grove House, which was in the
reign of George IV. the residence of the celebrated danseuse, Mademoiselle
Duvernay. The lane comes out into Roehampton Lane opposite Roehampton House, a
fine red-brick building, with wings, erected in 1712. The ceiling of the saloon
has a painting of the Banquet of the Gods by Sir James Thornhill, the
father-in-law of Hogarth.
Southward, nearer to the park, are Cedar Court and Downshire House, two fine
old mansions, the latter for a time the residence of the Marchioness of
Downshire, and now a training college for army and navy students. At a bend in
the road, where it goes downhill, is a quaint old-fashioned house, The Cottage,
curiously built. To the west the[Pg
91] view is charming toward the park. Holy Trinity Church, now
closed, was built in the middle of the nineteenth century, but the original
church was consecrated by Archbishop Laud.
A very fine cedar stands in the churchyard, and on the north is the large and
costly mausoleum of the Stephens family. Further north is the Convent of the
Sacred Heart, standing in Roehampton Park, a spacious Gothic edifice, and
opposite is the Rookery, alongside of which runs a lane through beautiful
meadows past Putney House into Putney Park Lane. Towards Barnes, in Roehampton
Lane, standing in wide grounds, are several family mansions, of which Lower
Grove House, Subiaco Lodge, Ellenborough House, and Roehampton Lodge, are some
of the best known. The new polo club, which it is prophesied by its originators
will outshine Hurlingham and Ranelagh, has its grounds between Priory and
Roehampton Lanes at their northern ends.
Roehampton Lane runs into Upper Richmond Road at its junction with Lower
Richmond Road. Barnes Common, one of the prettiest of the bits of wild land near
London, is rather cut up by the railroad. To the London boundary in the west,
that is the Priests' Bridge over Beverley Brook, the road runs between hedges
most of the way, but near the bridge are a few cottages and small shops. The
Manor House stands at the[Pg
92] junction of the upper and lower roads, and wears an air of
solidity, compared with its newer neighbours nearer town. It faces a small angle
of lawn, backed by a hedge of rhododendrons, and is a plain, square, two-story
dwelling with a porch, flanked by greenhouses; the walls are hidden behind ivy
that climbs to the tiled roof. East of the Manor House rows of red-brick
cottages on the north side stretch to Dyers Lane, and opposite is Putney Park
Avenue, with its small cottages closely built; there are fields before Putney
Park Lane which is lined with tall Scotch firs. Workmen digging here disclose
the depth of fine sand and gravel which underlies all this region and gives it
such perfect surface drainage. A gate marked "Private" leads into Putney Park
Lane, and passing south under an avenue of magnificent elms, with the remains of
orchards and market-gardens to the east and rolling fields to the west, we pass
Putney Park House, and beyond a nurseryman's gardens see the Granard
Presbyterian Church, a stone church with slated spire, standing at the corner of
the lane that leads across the fields and past orchards and market-gardens to
Howard's Lane. Westward from the church another lane leads through pleasant
meadows, with beautiful views of the mansions that lie back from the roads, and
comes out at the convent in Roehampton Lane. Towards[Pg
93] Putney Heath two large houses are seen—Granard Lodge in the
Putney Park Lane, and Summerfield behind it. Passing down the lane from the
church and entering Howard's Lane we find a district of new houses to the north,
in straight rows at regular intervals, gauged, apparently, by the size of the
backyards. To the south one row of small cottages, Upper Park Fields, juts out
into the market-gardens, which, with the fields behind, are still free from
buildings. At the western end of Howard's Lane is a large tennis-ground
belonging to a local club, while beyond is seen the advance of bricks and mortar
towards the west. Carmalt Gardens leads into the Upper Richmond Road at its best
part, for all the houses here are of a good style and size. At the corner of
Gwendolen Avenue stands a Wesleyan Methodist church of stone, with a square
tower, and south a few houses flank it; but though all this land was lately open
it is now built over. At the St. John's Road, however, buildings have rapidly
risen, and the Church of St. John at the corner of the Ravenna Road is now
surrounded by a well-built-up neighbourhood. Cambalt Road is also new, with
strange types of houses, and behind this, again, is another avenue, Chartfield
Road, filled with new houses, running through to Putney Hill. South of this rise
the well-wooded grounds[Pg
94] of the large houses on the hill, with fields to the westward.
And thus we take leave of Putney, one of the pleasantest of the London
suburbs, as well as the most accessible. The immense increase in the number of
houses in late years testifies to its popularity; but there is still an almost
unlimited extent of open ground which cannot be covered; and with wood and
water, common and hill, there will always be an element of freshness and
openness in Putney seldom to be obtained so near London.
PUTNEY DISTRICT.
Published by A. & C. Black, London.
[Pg 95]
INDEX
- Abershaw, Jeremiah,
86,
89
- Addison,
70
- Alphery, Mickephor,
17
- Alton Road,
88
- Arundel House,
51
- Ashburton House,
83
- Barn Elms,
76
- Barnes Common,
77,
91
- Beavor Lodge,
17
- Bessborough Road,
88
- Beverley Brook,
89
- Billington, Mrs.,
41
- Bishop's Park,
59,
63
- Blythe House,
23
- Bolingbroke House,
49
- Bonner, Bishop,
61
- Bowling-Green House,
85
- Bradmore House,
8
- Brandenburg, Anspach, Margravine,
40
- Brandenburg House,
39
- Bristol House,
85
- Broadway, The,
19
- Brook Green,
20
- Brook Green Almshouses,
20
- Broom House,
66
- Buckingham, Duke of,
77
- Burlington House,
54
- Burne-Jones, Sir E.,
36
- Burney, Dr.,
5
- Butchers' Almshouses,
47
- Butterwick House,
8
- Cambalt Road,
93
- Camden,
5
- Canning, George,
85
- Carey, Hon. T.,
69
- Carnwath House,
67
- Caroline, Queen,
41
- Catherine of Braganza,
16
- Cedar Lodge,
81
- Chancellor Road,
13
- Chandos, Lord,
84
- Charles I.,
35
- Charles II.,
83
- Chartfield Road,
93
- Cheselden, Mr.,
72
- Child, Sir Francis,
49
- Chiswick Ait,
3
- Church Road,
54
- Churches:
-
- All Saints' (Parish), Fulham,
55
- All Saints', Putney,
77
- St. Andrew's, Fulham,
38
- St. Augustine's, Lillie Road,
44
- Christ Church, Blythe Road,
23
- Holy Cross (R.C.), Ashington Road,
68
- St. Clement's, Fulham,
42
- St. Dionis', Parson's Green,
67
- St. Gabriel's, Clifton Street,
32
- Granard Presbyterian,
92
- Holy Innocents', Hammersmith,
27
- Holy Trinity, Hammersmith,
32
- Holy Trinity, Roehampton,
91
- St. James's, Moore Park Road,
47
- St. John's, Putney,
93
- St. John's, Walham Green,
47
- St. Joseph's (R.C.),
87
- St. Luke's, Uxbridge Road,
30
- St. Mark's, Hammersmith,
13
- St. Mary's, Goldhawk Road,
29
- St. Mary's, Hammersmith Road,
37
- St. Mary's (Parish), Putney,
73
- St. Matthew's, Sinclair Road,
24
- St. Paul's (Parish), Hammersmith,
9
- St. Peter's, Hammersmith,
18
- St. Peter's, Reporton Road,
44
- St. Saviour's, Cobbold Road,
29
- St. Simon's, Minford Gardens,
24
- St. Stephen's, Shepherd's Bush,
28
- St. Thomas's, Godolphin Road,
28
- St. Thomas's (R.C.), Rylston Road,
44
- Cipriani,
7,
37
- Clapham, Margaret,
8
- Clarence, Duke of,
90
- Clarence House,
90
- Clarke, W. T.,
12
- Clinton House,
83
- Clyde House,
76
- Colet Court,
5
- Colet, Dean,
4
- Compton, Bishop,
63
- Compton, Colonel,
84
- Compton, Spencer,
5
- Convent of Good Shepherd,
13
- Convent of Sacred Heart, Hammersmith,
19
- Convent of Sacred Heart, Roehampton,
91
- Craven Cottage,
59
- Crest House,
81
- Crispe, Sir Nicholas,
10,
40
- Croker, Crofton,
68
- Cromwell,
3,
75,
80
- Cumberland, Bishop,
5
- Dawes, Sir A.,
81
- Dawes, Sir T.,
83
- Devonshire, Christina, Countess of,
83
- Doulton,
54
- Dover House,
83
- Duels,
84
- Duvernay, Mademoiselle,
90
- Dwight, John,
53
- Eagle House,
21
- Earl's Court Exhibition,
38
- East End House,
49
- Eelbrook Common,
49
- Ekins, Dr.,
49
- Elizabeth Free School,
66
- Elizabeth, Queen,
35,
75,
77
- Ellenborough House,
91
- Elm Lodge,
77
- Eridge House,
52
- Evelyn,
14
- Exeter House,
83
- Fairfax,
75
- Fairfax House,
80
- Female Philanthropic Society,
7
- Ferne, Mr.,
8
- Fisher, Bishop,
5
- Fisheries,
18
- Fitzherbert, Mrs.,
49
- Fitzjames, Bishop,
60
- Fleetwood,
75
- Francis, Sir Philip,
5
- Free Library, Fulham,
51
- Free Library, Hammersmith,
25
- Free Library, Putney,
79
- Friends' Meeting-House,
15
- Fulham House,
53
- Fulham Palace,
59
- Fulham Pottery,
53
- Gardeners' Lane,
79
- Gibbon, Edward,
82
- Godolphin Schools,
27
- Goldhawk Road,
27
- Gouge, Thomas,
13
- Granard Lodge,
93
- Grantham House,
83
- Grindal, Bishop,
63
- Grisi, Madame,
51
- Grove House,
80,
90
- Gurney, Sir R.,
26
- Gwendolen Avenue,
93
- Halfway House,
89
- Halley,
5
- Halliday, Sir Frederick,
5
- Hammersmith and West Kensington Synagogue,
21
- Hammersmith, boundaries of,
1
- Hammersmith Cemetery,
39
- Hammersmith Terrace,
18
- Hannen, Lord,
5
- Hartley, Dr.,
84
- Harvey, Colonel Edmund,
50
- Henry III.,
35
- Highlands,
85
- High Street, Putney,
79
- Highwood,
88
- Hook, Theodore,
58
- Howard's Lane,
93
- Howley, Bishop,
62
- Hurlingham,
64
- Iles, Dr.,
20
- Impey, Elijah,
9
- Ireton,
75
- James I.,
35
- Johnson, Joseph,
49
- Jowett, Benjamin,
5
- Keene, Charles,
5
- Kelmscott House,
17
- King's Theatre,
19
- Kingston Road,
88
- King Street,
24
- Kitcat Club,
77
- Kneller, Sir Godfrey,
16
- Knolles, Sir T.,
69
- Laburnum House,
76
- Lacey, John,
75
- Latymer, Edward,
6
- Latymer Foundation School,
6
- Latymer Schools, Upper,
18
- Laud, Bishop,
60
- Leander Club,
74
- Lee, Bishop,
5
- Leland,
5
- Lillie Road,
44
- Lily,
4
- Lime Grove,
82
- Linden House,
17
- Little Wapping,
15
- Lloyd, Bishop,
17
- London Club,
74
- Loutherbourgh,
18
- Lower Grove House,
91
- Lower Mall,
14
- Lucy House,
12
- Lytton, Sir E. Bulwer,
45,
59
- Manchester, Duke of,
5
- Manor House, Barnes,
91
- Manresa House,
87
- Marlborough, Duke of,
5
- Marryat, Captain,
16,
41
- Milton,
5
- Monuments in Fulham Church,
56
- Mordaunt, Viscount,
69
- Morland, Sir S.,
14
- Morris, William,
17
- Moyle, Walter,
8
- Moulinière House,
81
- Mountain, Mrs.,
18
- Mount Carmel Hermitage,
45
- Mount Clare,
90
- Mulgrave House,
64
- Mulgrave, third Earl of,
8
- Munster, Duchess of,
52
- Munster House,
52
- Munster Park Chapel,
52
- Murphy, Arthur,
12,
18
- Nevill, Sir Edward,
12
- Normand House,
44
- Northfield Square,
80
- Old Ship,
17
- Ollivant, Bishop,
5
- Pallenswick, Manor of,
25
- Park Lodge,
81
- Parson's Green,
67
- Payne of Pallenswick,
26
- Pembroke, Earl of,
83
- Pepys,
5
- Perrers, Alice,
25
- Peterborough House,
69
- Pitt, William,
85
- Point House,
76
- Pollock, Sir Frederick,
5
- Ponsonby Road,
87
- Poor Sisters of Nazareth,
5
- Pope,
49
- Porteous, Bishop,
62
- Portsmouth Road,
83
- Powell's Almshouses,
54
- Purser's Cross,
50
- Putney Bridge,
72
- Putney Heath,
83
- Putney Hill,
81
- Putney House,
91
- Putney Palace,
74
- Putney Park,
83
- Putney Park Avenue,
92
- Putney Park House,
92
- Putney Park Lane,
92
- Pryor's Bank,
58
- Queen Elizabeth's Dairy,
77
- Queen's Club,
38
- Queen Street,
14
- Radcliffe, Dr.,
16
- Ranelagh,
76
- Ravenscourt Park,
25
- Ravensworth House,
48
- Richardson, Samuel,
36,
68
- Richmond Park,
89
- Richmond, Sir W. B.,
17
- Riverside House,
76
- Robin Hood Gate,
88
- Rocque, John,
48
- Roehampton,
87
- Roehampton House,
90
- Roehampton Lane,
91
- Roehampton Lodge,
91
- Roehampton Polo Club,
91
- Ronald, Sir Francis,
17
- Rosamund's Bower,
68
- Sandford Manor,
70
- Sands End,
69
- Shepherd's Bush,
28
- Sherlock, Bishop,
61,
62
- Shrewsbury, Earl of,
77
- Sibbald, Sir J.,
41
- Siddons, Mrs.,
85
- Sion House,
21
- Sisters of St. Katherine,
45
- Smith, Sir T.,
69
- Spring Gardens,
76
- St. James's Home,
42
- St. Joseph's School,
23
- St. Mary's Catholic Orphanage,
20
- St. Mary's Cemetery (R.C.),
32
- St. Mary's Training College,
22
- St. Paul's School,
3
- St. Paul's School (Girls),
21
- St. Paul's National Schools,
13
- Star and Garter Hotel,
75
- Starch Green Road,
29
- Stourton, Lord,
53
- Strype,
5
- Subiaco House,
91
- Summerfield,
93
- Sussex Lodge,
16
- Swan Brewery,
48
- Swinburne,
81
- Syndercomb, Miles,
28
- Tarnworth, John,
69
- Temple, Bishop,
63
- Terrick, Bishop,
62
- Thames Club,
74
- Thanet Lodge,
76
- Thompson, James,
16
- Tonson, Jacob,
77
- Truro, Lord Chancellor,
5
- Turner,
17
- Union Workhouse,
39
- Upper Mall,
15
- Upper Richmond Road,
93
- Vanbrugh, Sir John,
61
- Wager, Sir Charles,
49
- Walham Green,
46
- Walker's Place,
79
- Walsingham, Sir Francis,
77
- Waste Land Almshouses,
29,
42
- Waterloo Street,
14
- Weltje Street,
17
- West End Chapel,
24
- West Kensington Park Chapel,
24
- West Lodge,
77
- West London Hospital,
19
- White Lodge,
89
- Wildcroft,
84
- William Smith's Almshouses,
14
- Wimbledon Common,
86
- Windsor House,
76
- Wolsey, Cardinal,
82
- Worlidge, Thomas,
12
- Wormholt Barns,
30
- Wormwood Scrubs,
31
- Wren, Sir Christopher,
61
THE END
BILLING AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, GUILDFORD
Transcriber's Notes
The following errors in the original text have been corrected:
- Page 4: Charity Commissoners changed to Charity Commissioners
- Page 21: stuccoed bnilding changed to stuccoed building
- Page 43: to build almhouses changed to to build almshouses
- Index: Page number for entry "Ekins, Dr." added.
The inconsistent hyphenation of "needle work" and "needle-work" and "Bulwer
Lytton" and "Bulwer-Lytton" has been left as per the original.
The use of "Moulinere House" in the main text and "Moulinière House" in
the index has also been left unchanged.
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Hammersmith, Fulham and Putney, by
Geraldine Edith Mitton and John Cunningham Geikie
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