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IN THE NEWS
TOUR OF THE MONTH
ON THIS DAY IN LONDON
23rd April 1959 1st heliport in Britain opens in London
23rd April 1925 1st London performance of operetta Fasquita staged
23rd April 1881 Gilbert and Sullivan's opera Patience produced in London
23rd April 1775 Artist J.M.W. Turner was born in Covent Garden, London.
23rd April 1705 Richard Steele's Tender Husband, premieres in London
23rd April 1702 The Coronation of Anne I in Westminster Abbey.
23rd April 1685 The Coronation of James II (and VII of Scotland) in Westminster Abbey.
23rd April 1661 English king Charles II crowned in London
23rd April 1661 The Coronation of Charles II in Westminster Abbey.
Seven Dials (nee Six)
The Seven Dials once had a pub on every one of the seven corners
Location: Monmouth Street, Covent Garden, London
Description: Prior to the end of the 17th century the area was a marshland and called the Cock & Pye fields. In the early 1690s Thomas Neale, Master of the Mint and also a property speculator, acquired this plot from the Crown.
He devised the characteristic six dials street layout in order to maximise the number of houses that could be built on the site and therefore his profit. He soon changed it to seven, but the original centrepiece still has the original six.
The names of the seven streets were chosen with the intention of attracting well to do residents, however some of the names have subsequently been simplified or changed because of duplication with other streets in London. They were originally: Little and Great Earl Street (now Earlham Street), Little and Great White Lyon Street (now Mercer Street), Queen Street (now Shorts Gardens) and Little & Great St. Andrews Street (now Monmouth Street). Some of the original street signs can still be seen attached to buildings in the area.
Later, the area had failed to establish itself as Neale hoped and deteriorated into a slum, renowned for its gin shops. At one point each of the seven apexes facing the Monument housed a pub, their cellars and vaults connected in the basement providing handy escape routes should the need arise.
Retail
Pub
Ranking This Month: 601/2798
Pages Hit This Month: 70
Link to This Page: http://www.shadyoldlady.com/location/318
Credits: http://www.sevendials.co.uk
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The Seven Dials once had a pub on every one of the seven corners |
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Christmas under Nelson», 0.4km
A gilded-gold Memorial», 2.2km
A Gate into London», 2.2km
Brunel's Tree...Alive & Kicking», 3.2km
Alleyn's School», 4.4km
Chalk... but no Cheese», 3.7km
History made at Earls Court», 3.3km
Jonas Hanway's Handy Gadget», 0.5km
The College of Arms», 1.2km
Peter Pan - Still a Legend», 0.6km
mapping London's most interesting and unusual places and history
