Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
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Wikipedia
Cannon Street is a road in the south of the City of London. It runs roughly parallel with the River Thames, about 250 metres north of it. It is the site of the ancient London Stone, and of Cannon Street railway station.
[edit] Etymology
The area around Cannon Street was the place of residence of the candle makers and in the Middle Ages the street was known as Candelwrichstrete. The name was shortened several times as a result of the local cockney dialect and settled on Cannon Street in the 17th century.[1] Cannon Street in Birmingham, according to the archives of Birmingham Central Library, is named after the City of London street.
[edit] Overview
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Cannon Street starts at St Paul's Cathedral, and goes east, meeting Queen Victoria Street near Mansion House tube station, passing Cannon Street station, and finally meeting King William Street and Gracechurch Street near Monument tube station.
In the late 19th century Cannon Street was occupied by large wholesale warehouses, especially of cotton goods and other fabrics.[2]
The London Stone, from which distances were measured in Roman times, was originally situated in the middle of Cannon Street. It was later set into the wall of St Swithin's Church,[2] and now rests in a case to the side of the street.
It is the street upon which singer Marc Almond suffered a near fatal crash in 2004 whilst riding pillion on a motorcycle.
Where Queen Street crosses Cannon Street there is a pedestrian-priority "Central Plaza" area. This was part of an award-winning public realm improvement scheme undertaken in 2006.[3]
The Marathon route of the 2012 London Olympics is planned to pass along Cannon Street.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Smith, A., Dictionary of City of London Street Names, (1970), David & Charles
- ^ a b Dickens, Charles, Jr (1879). "Cannon Street". Dickens's Dictionary of London. http://www.victorianlondon.org/dickens/dickens-cha.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
- ^ City of London Corporation Queen Street public realm
- ^ London 2012 Proposed Marathon Route
Coordinates: 51°30′43″N 0°5′31″W / 51.51194°N 0.09194°W / 51.51194; -0.09194
Annotations
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The Rocque map references are:
http://www.motco.com/Map/81002/SeriesSearchPlatesFulla.asp?mode=query&artist=384&other=320&x=11&y=11
with Cannon Street on the left side of this section.
And:
http://www.motco.com/Map/81002/SeriesSearchPlatesFulla.asp?mode=query&artist=384&other=319&x=11&y=11
on the lower right side of this section.
The Rocque map alphabetical reference points to different Cannon Street to the east of SP’s home:
http://www.motco.com/Map/81002/SeriesSearchPlatesFulla.asp?mode=query&artist=384&other=319&x=11&y=11
in front of St.George’s but I doubt this is the one SP refers to in the entry on Thursday 20 September 1660.
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From Charles Dickens, Jr.’s (did you know there was one?# Directory of London #1879) —
“Cannon Street is one of the greatest of the improvements which have been effected in modern London. It is a noble thoroughfare of great width, leading from St. Paul’s- churchyard to the end of King William-street. Its construction has relieved Cheapside of the greater part of the heavy traffic. Indeed were Cannon. Street now closed, Cheapside would become impassable. Cannon-street is a street of wholesale warehouses, and a few sample goods in each window alone tell the passer-by the nature of the immense stock contained in them. Here are representatives of many of the largest foreign as well as English firms; and there are large stores of goods from Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Sheffield, Belfast and, indeed, from every large manufacturing town in the kingdom. In Cannon-street are the station of the South Eastern Railway, and the Mansion House Station of the Metropolitan, situated at the point where Queen Victoria-street runs diagonally across Cannon-street. In the wall of St. Swithin’s Church, opposite the South- Eastern Station, will be found that curious relic of old London, called London Stone. In the Roman days distances were measured from this point. The various narrow streets running between Cannon-street and Cheapside contain many of the most important warehouses and firms of the City. The locality is specially affected by firms connected with the trades in cotton and other textile fabrics.”
http://www.victorianlondon.org/dickens/dickens-cha.htm
I haven’t been able to date the “improvement … in modern London” he is talking about — surely later than 1667.
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“The medieval Cannon Street — once Candlewick or Candlewright Street (i.e. candle maker) Street — was extended west of Walbrook in 1847-54 to plans drawn up by J. B. Bunning in 1846. It superseded the ancient line of Watling Street and Budge Row as the main route E. out of St. Paul’s Churchyard. The south side of the medieval part was widened too.”
Simon Bradley & Nikolaus Pevsner, “London I. The City of London” (Buildings of England) London: Penguin, 1997 p. 441