Charles James Freake
Encyclopedia
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, including Eaton Square
Eaton Square
Eaton Square is a residential garden square in London's Belgravia district. It is one of the three garden squares built by the Grosvenor family when they developed the main part of Belgravia in the 19th century, and is named after Eaton Hall, the Grosvenor country house in Cheshire...
and Onslow Square
Onslow Square
Onslow Square is a garden square in South Kensington, southwest London, England.The square lies between the Old Brompton Road to the northwest and the Fulham Road to the southeast. To the north is South Kensington tube station. To the south is the Royal Marsden Hospital...
. From humble beginnings and apprenticeship as a carpenter, he become a master builder, patron of the arts — especially music — and a philanthropist.
Career
Freake's father, Charles Freake, was originally a coal merchant. In the 1820s, he took a lease of the Royal Oak public house in Elizabeth Street, BelgraviaBelgravia
Belgravia is a district of central London in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Noted for its immensely expensive residential properties, it is one of the wealthiest districts in the world...
, on the Grosvenor Estate. It appears that being a pub landlord then became his main business, but he also speculated in building locally in a small way. In 1837, he granted his son (who was described as a carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
) a sub-lease of a small mews house in Royal Oak. In 1838, Charles James Freake (now described as a builder) acquired some house plots in Elizabeth Street. Over a five year period he built forty houses in South Eaton Place and Chester Row, and on the south side of Eaton Square.
The Grosvenor Estate's London surveyor from 1828 to 1845 was George Basevi
George Basevi
Elias George Basevi FRS was an English architect. He was the favourite pupil of Sir John Soane.-Life:Basevi was the youngest son of a City of London merchant, also named George Basevi...
. In 1843, Basevi and Freake were involved in a joint project in Chelsea. Basevi had designed St. Jude’s Church and Freake had been appointed to build it. So, when a new tract of land became available for development in 1843 when the lease of Thomas Gibbs’ nursery expired, Basevi used his influence to obtain the contract for Freake. The trustees signed a building agreement with Freake in April 1844.
Over the next decades, the trustees entered into new building agreements with Freake in 1849, 1850, 1855, 1861, 1862 and 1883. The land he took on included nearly all the Estate west of Pelham Crescent, amounting to 40 acres (161,874.4 m²). All the leases of houses were granted direct to Freake, rather than to backers or speculators.
Freake lived on the Estate for most of the years during which the development was proceeding. In 1860, he moved to Cromwell House, 21 Cromwell Road
Cromwell Road
Cromwell Road is a major road in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, and is designated part of the A4. It was created in the 19th century and is named after Oliver Cromwell....
, which continued to be his London home for the rest of his life. The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh were guests at 21 Cromwell Road, where he put on lavish musical and theatrical events. Freake built the National Training School for Music at his own expense in 1874–5, which is now the Royal College of Organists
Royal College of Organists
The Royal College of Organists or RCO, is a charity and membership organisation based in the United Kingdom, but with members around the world...
.
This particular piece of public charity earned him a baronetcy in 1882, Baronet Freake of Cromwell House
Freake Baronets
The Freake Baronetcy, of Cromwell House in the Parish of St Mary Abbots, Kensington, and Fulwell Park in the Parish of Twickenham, both in the County of Middlesex, was a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 23 May 1882 for the architect, builder and philanthropist...
. The baronetcy became extinct in 1951.
He famously only allowed straight chimneys in his buildings after his solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
William Pulteney Scott told him about soot wart
Soot wart
Chimney sweep's cancer called Soot wart, is a squamous cell carcinoma of the skin of the scrotum. It has the distinction of being the first reported form of occupational cancer, and was initially identified by Percival Pott in 1775....
— a form of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
of the scrotum
Scrotum
In some male mammals the scrotum is a dual-chambered protuberance of skin and muscle containing the testicles and divided by a septum. It is an extension of the perineum, and is located between the penis and anus. In humans and some other mammals, the base of the scrotum becomes covered with curly...
prevalent in child sweeps
Chimney sweep
A chimney sweep is a worker who clears ash and soot from chimneys. The chimney uses the pressure difference caused by a hot column of gas to create a draught and draw air over the hot coals or wood enabling continued combustion. Chimneys may be straight or contain many changes of direction. During...
. Straight chimneys allowed brushes to be used for the entire chimney length and would have saved many Victorian working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
children from a painful and premature death.
He died in 1884 and is buried in Brompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery is located near Earl's Court in South West London, England . It is managed by The Royal Parks and is one of the Magnificent Seven...
, London. In spite of his generosity and philanthropy he was a shrewd businessman who left approximately ₤750,000 at his death - a large fortune at the time.