Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
Pepys lived at a house in Axe Yard from August 1658 to July 1660.
See here for general information about Axe Yard itself.
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In August 1658 Pepys along with Elizabeth and their servant Jane Birch moved into Axe Yard. At first he could only afford to rent half the house - five rooms and a yard where he bred pigeons - and he still called it “my little house” even after taking over the other half.
Axe Yard was a cul-de-sac right in the heart of Westminster. There were 25 houses along the length of the Yard and the larger ones were owned by wealthy well connected families, it had a narrow entrance into King Street next to the Axe Tavern, and was only a short walk away from King Street gate into Whitehall Palace where he had been living in a single room in Edward Montagu’s lodgings.
If you turned right on leaving Axe Yard, a short walk would bring you to Westminster Palace, Parliament and the offices of the Exchequer where he then worked under George Downing.