Chelsea, in the Olden & Present Times

PASSENGER.

O Gate, how com’st thou here?

GATE.

I was brought from Chelsea last year,
   Batter’d with wind and weather;
   Inigo Jones put me together;
      Sir Hans Sloane,
      Let me alone,
   Burlington brought me hither.

This gate was placed in an avenue near the house at Chiswick, and consisted of a portico, supported by two columns of the Doric order on one side, and pilasters on the other.  On two stone tablets were inscribed: “Builded by Inigo Jones, at Chelsea, MDCXXI.”  “Given by Sir Hans Sloane, baronet, to the Earl of Burlington, MDCCXXXVII.”

Bowack thus describes Beaufort House in 1705: “This house is between two and three hundred feet in length, has a stately ancient front towards the Thames, also two spacious court yards, and behind it are very fine gardens.  It is so pleasantly situated, that the late Queen Mary had a great desire to purchase it before King William built Kensington, but was prevented by some secret obstacles.”

Attached to the house was a chapel, which appears to have been attended by a few of the inhabitants.  In various marriage licenses, granted in 1722, and in other years, persons were to be married in the Parish Church, in the chapel of Chelsea College, or the chapel of Beaufort House.

The above account of this celebrated mansion cannot fail to be highly interesting to the generality of readers.  Mr. Faulkner has truly observed, “that few houses can boast of having been the residence of such a succession of noble and distinguished characters.”

Battersea Bridge, Sailing Matches, &c.

To meet the tastes of all classes of readers, I shall occasionally deviate from the prescribed order which it was my original intention to have pursued; by doing so it will remove the weariness that frequently arises, especially in works of this description, from dwelling too long on one particular subject.  This motive, I trust, will be accepted as an apology for apparent digressions.

There was formerly a Ferry a little eastward of the spot where now stands Battersea Bridge, and consequently not far distant from the distinguished mansion just described.  It belonged to Thomas, Earl of Lincoln, who sold it in 1618 to William Blake.  After some time it became the property of Sir Walter St. John, and passed with the Bolingbroke estate to Earl Spencer, under whom it was held in 1766, when an Act of Parliament was obtained for building a bridge over the Thames, from Chelsea to Battersea, and empowering Lord Spencer to build the same.  Fifteen proprietors having subscribed a sum of money each, it was accordingly begun in 1771, was opened for foot-passengers in the same year, and in the following year was ready for carriages.  From 1772, when the bridge was finally erected, to the present time, 1869, is exactly 97 years, and this is the precise age of it.  It is a most unsightly structure of wood, about one furlong in length, 28 ft. wide, and its cost rather more than £20,000.  The proprietors have a vote for the counties of Middlesex and Surrey.

The number of lives that have been sacrificed at this bridge, together with the barges sunken at it, even within the last few years, is really painful to contemplate.  It is a sad contrast, in every respect, to the elegant structures that now span the river, and it is to be hoped there will soon be erected another one in its place—one that will be an ornament to Chelsea, Battersea, and the metropolis.

HYDE PARK ON THE THAMES.

That part of the river, known as Chelsea Reach, was so fashionable a rendezvous of pleasure boats and barges in the reign of Charles II. that some persons have described the scene as being a sort of Pall Mall Afloat, and it was called “Hyde Park on the Thames,” in that king’s reign.  The reach is the widest of any part westward of London Bridge, which rendered it peculiarly suitable for such grand aquatic displays.  There were dukes and duchesses, marquises, earls, and barons, with a similar fashionable throng to that which may still be witnessed in Hyde Park.  The watermen were arrayed in dresses of all colours, and the whole presented a scene of grandeur which cannot be adequately described.

Fishing, at the above period, was carried on to a very considerable extent at Chelsea; but, owing to the fishermen using unlawful nets, and other causes, it fell into decay, and, finally, proved an unprofitable speculation.  In my earlier days two or three fishermen earned a scanty living by selling the fish they caught, and a few lovers of angling also occasionally “pulled up” some very fine roach and dace, in the prime season, at Battersea Bridge.

In this street resided for many years Mr. W. Lewis, bookbinder, the intimate friend of Dr. Smollett, and his fellow companion, on their journey from Edinburgh to London.  It was by the advice of Smollett that he settled at Chelsea; he is pourtrayed in the novel of “Roderick Random,” under the character of Strap the Barber, and many facetious anecdotes are there related of his simplicity, vanity, and ignorance of the world.  Mr. Lewis died about 1785.

Danvers Street was begun to be built in the latter end of the 17th century, on the site of Danvers Gardens, and from thence takes its name.  Danvers House adjoined Sir Thomas More’s estate, if it was not actually a part of his property, or that of his son in-law, Roper; there existed anciently a thoroughfare or private way between the houses in Lombard Street, on the north side, towards the King’s Road, but to what extent cannot now be ascertained.

Sir John married Magdalen, daughter of Sir Richard Newport, and relict of Sir Richard Herbert, by whom she was mother of the famous Lord Herbert of Cherbury.

After the death of her first husband this lady continued a widow twelve years, and was highly esteemed for her great and harmless wit, cheerful gravity, and obliging behaviour, which gained her an acquaintance and friendship with most people of eminent worth or learning in the University of Oxford, where she lived four years, to take care of the education of her eldest son, her children being all young at the death of their father.  She died in 1627, and was buried at Chelsea.  The Dean of St. Paul’s, whilst preaching her funeral sermon, could not refrain from tears, as Walton reports, who was present.

Duke Street, as already indirectly intimated, was first built at the time when the Duke of Buckingham resided at the “greatest house in Chelsea,” and was thus named in compliment to that nobleman.  There is nothing clearly known as to the origin of Lombard Street.

Luke Thomas Flood, Esq., first resided in Cheyne Walk, but afterwards removed to the spacious house at the western corner of Beaufort Street, fronting the river.  He was a very great benefactor to the parish, an active and intelligent magistrate, and interested himself in promoting at all times whatever was conducive to the welfare and improvement of Chelsea.  He was treasurer of the Parish Schools for many years, and, in 1818, through his indefatigable exertions, he succeeded in nearly doubling the number of children that had attended them, and who were clothed and educated free of expense to their parents.  Towards the close of his life he went to Brighton, where he remained till his death, which occurred about 1860.  His munificent annual gifts to the poor of this parish, as bequeathed in his will, but which he desired to be at once carried into effect, during his remaining days, will cause his memory to be revered in this parish by all future generations.  Mr. Flood possessed some valuable pictures by the most eminent Masters.

Lindsey House, the Moravians, &c.

This ancient mansion stands also in front of the river, and adjoined Sir Thomas More’s.  It was erected by the Earl of Lindsey, in the reign of Charles II., on the site of a house originally built by Sir Theodore Mayerne, an eminent physician, and the only instance on record of a physician who was retained in that character by four kings.  He lived many years in Chelsea, and died here at the age of 82.  At his death, Robert, Earl of Lindsey, purchased the house, which he pulled down, and erected the present edifice; it has, however, undergone great alterations by subsequent proprietors, and is now divided into five houses.  The Earl of Lindsey died in 1701, but his widow resided here till 1705.  In the same year Lindsey House was occupied by Ursula, Countess Dowager of Plymouth, and by her son, Lord Windsor.  It was afterwards in the possession of Francis, Lord Conway, the second son of Sir E. Seymour, who was created a peer in 1703.  By his third wife, Charlotte, sister to Lady Walpole, he had Francis, Marquis of Hertford, who was born at Chelsea in 1718.  The house continued in the Ancaster family till 1750, when it was purchased for the Moravian Society.

The Moravian Burial Ground, the entrance to which is at the north end of Milman’s Row, occupies about two acres of ground.  The whole is divided into four distinct compartments.  The brethren are buried in separate divisions from those of the sisters; for, as in their public assemblies, they still adhere to the ancient custom of separating the sexes, the men occupying one, and the women the other side of the chapel, so they retain it even in their burying ground.  The tomb-stones are all flat, placed on turf, raised about six inches above the ground, in regular rows.  The inscriptions in general record only the names and age of the persons interred.  Amongst them are the following:—

James Fraser, aged 63, 1808, who made fifty-six voyages between England and Labrador, in the service of the Moravian Missions on that coast.

James Hutton, 1795, of whom there is an engraved portrait in mezzotinto, with a trumpet to his ear.  This worthy and well-known character was accustomed to pay morning visits to some of the first families in Chelsea; he used likewise to seek out objects that were in distress, and relieved them according to their necessities.  The character of Albany, in Miss Burney’s celebrated novel of Cecilia, is said to be meant for his portrait.  He died in the 80th year of his age.

The Rev. C. J. La Trobe succeeded him as secretary to the brethren.

James Gillray, 1799, forty years sexton at this cemetery, father of Gillray the celebrated caricaturist, whose works are so much admired for their spirit and effect.

Pætrus Bæhler, 1770.  A very active Minister among the Moravians, and one of their bishops.  He came to England in 1738, was very intimate with Wesley and Whitfield, whom he visited at Oxford, and who were in the same ship with him when he went to America as Minister of the Colony of Georgia.

Benjamin La Trobe, 1786, father of the Rev. C. J. La Trobe, a man of distinguished excellence as a preacher, the editor of several religious works, and for a long time superintendent of the congregation in England.  He removed many “absurdities which prevailed in their religious proceedings, and which had subjected the whole community to unmerited scandal.”

Christian Renatus, Count of Zinzendorf, May 28, 1832.  There is against the south wall of the chapel a tablet to his memory.  He was the only son of the celebrated Count Zinzendorf.

Mary Theresa Stonehouse, daughter of Sir John Crisp, Bart., and wife of the Rev. George Stonehouse, 1751.  This monument is on the right of the preceding.

The burial service of the church is particularly impressive.  The coffin being deposited in the middle of the chapel, a hymn is sung by the congregation, for they value and carefully cultivate music as a science, and the responses of their liturgies are attended with peculiar effect.  The Minister then delivers a discourse, in which some account is given of the deceased, with suitable exhortations.  The form of service contained in their Liturgy is next read, and the congregation then follow the corpse, the men walking together, and the women the same.  A scriptural passage is read, commencing as follows.  “Meanwhile none of us liveth to himself; for whether we live, we live unto the Lord, and whether we die, we die unto the Lord,” &c.  The following is then sung by the congregation:—

“Now to the earth let these remains
   In hope committed be,
Until the body, chang’d, obtains
   Blest immortality.”

While the above verse is being sung the body is let down into the grave.  A prayer is then offered, and the whole is concluded by singing a verse of another hymn.

The chapel at the north side of the burial ground occupies the site of the old stables of Beaufort House.  It is a plain building, displaying no architectural adornments, and it is now upwards of fifty years since Divine service was performed in it by the brethren.  For a long time it has been occupied as a schoolroom for the boys belonging to Park Chapel National and Sunday Schools, and most of the annual meetings of the numerous societies, which are supported by the congregation of Park Chapel, are at present held in it.

LINDSEY ROW.

It was mentioned at the commencement of the description of Lindsey House, that it had been divided into five houses, called Lindsey Row.  These houses still remain, and are inhabited at the present time by families of great respectability.  They command a most delightful prospect of the Thames, which here forms a sort of bay; the view from the upper stories is bounded on the south by the Surrey Hills, and Putney Heath on the north.

Henry Constantine Jennings, Esq., a most eccentric and unfortunate gentleman, resided in the first house on the east.  He was born in 1731, and was descended from a very ancient and illustrious family, the Nevils.  The celebrated Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, he reckoned among his progenitors.  At an early age he obtained a commission in the first regiment of Foot Guards, and afterwards went abroad on his travels.  While in Italy, he formed an acquaintance with the Duke of Marlborough, then Marquis of Blandford, and it is said he suggested the idea of the cabinet of antiques, afterwards engraved by Bartolozzi, and so well known as the Marlborough Gems.  It was at this period, doubtless, that Mr. Jennings acquired a passion for objects of taste.  On his return to England, he repaired to his seat at Shiplake, in the county of Oxford, and unfortunately for him became addicted to the pleasures of the turf, and the result was that his fortune was soon dissipated.  Mr. Jennings now withdrew from society and lived in obscurity.  A sudden change of fortune seems, however, to have released him from pecuniary difficulties, for we find him collecting, with great ardour, every object of antiquity, &c., that was presented to his notice, and which he could purchase.  He also possessed a most valuable library.  But, again, he became reduced in his circumstances, and had to dispose of his books and collections at a vast loss.

This remarkable gentleman, whom I well remember, seemed more properly to belong to some distant generation rather than the one in which he lived—his character, dress, and manners, were so different in every respect.  The fate of such a man, to a certain extent, awakens our sympathy, for his pursuits were generally throughout his life most refined; and the disasters which befel him is a warning to many in the present day.

Mr. Jennings’s Museum well deserves to be noticed.  It consisted of a rare and valuable collection of the most chosen specimens of taste, and probably the completest collection of shells.  Many fine specimens of minerals and scarce coloured gems, cameos, and intaglios; crystals, and other choice productions of nature, such as diamonds of almost every colour, rubies, emeralds, pearls, sapphires, &c.; not to omit many excellent specimens of well-preserved birds and quadrupeds.  Old, and first-rate impressions of prints from Raphael, and others of the Roman school; some fine specimens of sculpture, both ancient and modern; many fine and scarce impressions of first editions, classical and of the entertaining kind, with many original drawings and pictures; in short, all that could interest one who had been long a real amateur.  Among the portraits was a fine one of Mary, Queen of Scotland, and another of Titian and his Mistress, the Mary in her fourteenth year; likewise several rare enamel miniatures of interesting characters; among which was one of the Princess Elizabeth, about seventeen years of age, this latter by Holbein; with some well-preserved medals in gold and silver.

This collection was disposed of by auction, by Mr. Phillips, in 1820; the shells, and most valuable articles, being removed to Bond Street, and the preserved birds, quadrupeds, and other articles of rarity, together with the furniture, were sold at Lindsey Row.

Sir Mark Isombard Brunell, the originator and designer of the Thames Tunnel, resided for a considerable period in the centre house.  His public works will immortalize his name to the latest posterity, as being one of the most eminent engineers of the present century.

John Martin, R.A., K.L., so well known for those grandly-conceived and sublime compositions, “Joshua commanding the Sun to stand Still,” “The Fall of Nineveh,” “The Last Judgment,” &c., also resided in Lindsey Row for some years.  The late Prince Consort was a frequent visitor to his Studio, and it is a pleasing fact to record that Mr. Martin kindly permitted the neighbouring inhabitants, and others, to have access occasionally to it, accompanied by an attendant, during his absence from home.  He died, as will be remembered, not many years since.

Timothy Bramah, Esq., a distinguished engineer, likewise occupied a house in Lindsey Row, for some years.  The family was always greatly respected, and a member of it still resides in a house near the one where Mr. Bramah resided.  The “Bramah Lock” at once denotes the celebrity of the firm.

The Rev. James Hutchins, M.A., who succeeded his father, the Rev. John Hutchins, as Evening Lecturer at the Old Church, resided for some years at a house at the western corner of Milman’s Row, fronting the river.  Mr. Hutchins, the son, was also Evening Lecturer at the new St. Luke’s Church for several years.  The Lecturer was remunerated by voluntary contributions, chiefly, collected from the inhabitants throughout the parish, the average amount altogether being about £60 per annum.

The foundry, which belonged to a person of the name of Janeway, was situated near World’s End Passage.  It was very extensive, and here the old bells of the Church were re-cast in 1759.  Riley Street, which stands on part of the foundry ground, was built principally in 1790.

Patrick Gibson, aged 111 years, lived in a house near the old World’s End Tavern.  For many years this remarkable man was a purser in the navy, in the reign of George III., and on all occasions he was invariably found in the thick of the battle, fighting with the most determined bravery.  He assisted in conveying General Wolfe off the field, and served under Lord Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar.  William IV., when Duke of Clarence, visited him at Chelsea, and took great interest in his affairs.  He resided in the parish 20 years, and died in 1832, at the remarkable age of 111 years, which was proved to be correct from official dates and by particular events.  An exceedingly striking portrait of Patrick Gibson, by McNaughten, adorns the walls of Greenwich Hospital.

The World’s-End Tavern was a noted house of entertainment in the reign of Charles II.; the tea-gardens and grounds were extensive, and elegantly fitted up for the reception of company.  The origin of the sign of the house is uncertain.  It was probably so named on account of its then considered distance from London, and the bad and dangerous state of the roads or pathways to it.  Most of the visitors came in pleasure boats along the Thames.  This ancient tavern is particularly mentioned in Congreve’s comedy of “Love for Love,” in a dialogue between Mrs. Foresight and Mrs. Frail, in which the former accuses the latter of having been seen at the “World’s End.”

Joseph Mallard W. Turner, Esq., R.A., resided for some time in a small house directly facing the Thames, in the road leading to Cremorne, where he died in 1851.  No doubt he selected this spot on account of the attractive scenery on the river, and the fine view of some parts of Surrey, as also to enjoy for a time the benefits arising from a more secluded life.  At the age of thirty years, Mr. Turner was recognised as the first landscape painter of the day.  For a period of sixty years he contributed to every exhibition of the Royal Academy, sending in all 259 pictures.  For many years he refused to part with some of the choicest specimens of his art, and after his death it was found that he had left those to the English nation, together with a great number of drawings and engravings.  Mr. Turner, while residing here, lived in almost entire seclusion.  He would not see any person, excepting a few very intimate friends, and, in fact, was extremely anxious not to be recognized.  This inclination, at the close of his life, was very natural.  The world is indebted to him for his productions, and Chelsea is proud to add his name to its list of distinguished residents.

The roadway in front of the house occupied by Mr. Turner, and along the front of that part of the river, has been considerably widened, and now presents a well-formed embankment.  A handsome terrace has been erected, besides a number of houses on the adjoining ground.

This villa was first formed by Theophilus, Earl of Huntingdon, who died in 1746.  It afterwards belonged, successively, to Richard, Viscount Powerscourt; to the Countess Dowager of Exeter, relict of Brownlow, the eighth Earl; and to Sir Richard Lyttleton, who married the Dowager Duchess of Bridgewater, and died in 1770.

After the death of the Duchess, in 1777, Thomas Dawson, Viscount Cremorne, at that time Baron Dartrey, purchased the villa in 1778.  He considerably enlarged and embellished the premises, under the skill of the eminent Mr. James Wyatt.  His lordship died in Stanhope Street, Mayfair, in 1813, in his 89th year, greatly respected, and bequeathed the estate to his relict, the late Viscountess.  It is stated, in an account published shortly after Lord Cremorne’s death, that “his generosity was unbounded, and his heart, in the most comprehensive sense, charitable.  But his most excellent character is, that he was a Christian in mind and practice.”

The Dowager Viscountess Cremorne, born in Philadelphia in 1740, died at her house in Stanhope Street in 1825, in the 86th year of her age.  Her ladyship resided at Chelsea a great portion of the year, and kept a large establishment.  She was one of the most kind-hearted residents in the parish.  For years it was her custom to entertain annually the children of the parochial and other schools, and she patronized the tradesmen of Chelsea as far as it was practicable, giving special orders to that effect to her household.  Queen Charlotte occasionally visited her in the summer months, when the children again attended, and received tokens of her benevolent regard for them.  She was buried by the side of her husband in the family vault at Stoke.  The carriages of the Royal Family followed in the funeral procession for some distance, and most of the tradesmen closed their shops.  She bequeathed the villa to her first cousin and executor, Granville Penn, Esq., second surviving son of Thomas Penn, and brother of John Penn, Esqrs., of Stoke Park, Bucks, Hereditary Governors and Proprietaries of the Province of Pennsylvania.  Granville Penn, Esq., resided in it for a few years.  It would occupy too much space to give a sketch even of the history of this distinguished family.

Ashburnham House is situated to the west of the late Lord Cremorne’s premises.  Dr. Benjamin Hoadley built the house, in 1747, for his own residence, but it has since been greatly altered by different occupiers.  He was the eldest son of the Bishop of Winchester, and was a Fellow of the Royal Society when very young.  In the learned world he was known as a philosopher.  Dr. Hoadley was also an eminent physician.  At his death Hoadley House was purchased by Sir Richard Glynn, who sold it to the Earl of Ashburnham, and thence it obtained the name of Ashburnham House.  It was next in possession of that learned physician, Dr. Cadogan, who resided in it for a few years, and planted in the garden a large quantity of medicinal herbs.  Lady Mary Coke resided here for about ten years, and sold it to Mr. Brown, who occupied a house near to it, called Ashburnham Cottage.  Mr. Stevens at length possessed the house, and resided in it for many years.  Afterwards it was the residence of the Hon. Leicester Stanhope, subsequently Earl of Harrington.

On the banks of the river, in front of Ashburnham House, was a piece of land, called the Lots.  The Lammas rights of the parishioners, with respect to this land, are now extinct.  Those who wish to know the particulars, will find them fully recorded in the Annual Vestry Reports, which may be obtained at the Vestry Hall, and which will render many parochial details in this work quite unnecessary.

Stanley House, St. Mark’s College.

Near to what is now the Chelsea Railway Station, on the north of the King’s Road, is Stanley House.  In the reign of Queen Elizabeth this was part of the estate of Sir Arthur Gorges, who was knighted in 1597, and died in 1625, and who built a house on this site for his own residence.  Rowland White, writing to Sir Robert Sidney, Nov. 15, 1599, says, “As the Queen passed by the faire new building, Sir Arthur Gorges presented her with a faire jewell.”  The family of Gorges at this period possessed very considerable property in Chelsea, which they afterwards gradually disposed of to the Cheyne family and others.