Cleveland Street, London
Encyclopedia
Cleveland Street in central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
runs north to south from Euston Road
Euston Road
Euston Road is an important thoroughfare in central London, England, and forms part of the A501. It is part of the New Road from Paddington to Islington, and was opened as part of the New Road in 1756...
(A501) to the junction of Mortimer Street and Goodge Street. It lies within Fitzrovia
Fitzrovia
Fitzrovia is a neighbourhood in central London, near London's West End lying partly in the London Borough of Camden and partly in the City of Westminster ; and situated between Marylebone and Bloomsbury and north of Soho. It is characterised by its mixed-use of residential, business, retail,...
, in the W1 post code area. Cleveland Street also runs along part of the border between Bloomsbury (ward)
Bloomsbury (ward)
- External links :* * * *...
which is located in London Borough of Camden
London Borough of Camden
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...
, and West End (ward)
West End (ward)
West End is a ward of the London borough of the City of Westminster, in the United Kingdom. It is a part of London's wider West End, which includes both areas in other wards of Westminster and areas of the London borough of Camden...
and Marylebone
Marylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
High Street (ward) in the City of Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
.
Geography
Cleveland Street marks the border between the City of WestminsterCity of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
to its west and the London Borough of Camden
London Borough of Camden
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...
to the east. This border is ancient, largely following the old divide between the western parish of Saint Marylebone and the parish of Saint Pancras
St Pancras, London
St Pancras is an area of London. For many centuries the name has been used for various officially-designated areas, but now is used informally and rarely having been largely superseded by several other names for overlapping districts.-Ancient parish:...
to the east and can be traced back as far as 1792. The street was also a boundary between large estates, such as the Bedford Estate
Bedford Estate
The Bedford Estate is a historic central London estate owned by the Russell family who possess the peerage of Duke of Bedford. The estate was originally based in Covent Garden, then stretched to include Bloomsbury in 1669...
and the Berners Estate. Maps show that the southern end of modern Cleveland Street, beyond Riding House Street, was known as Upper Newman Street and then Norfolk Street. The northern section was once known as Upper Cleveland Street and Buckingham Place.
The name comes from the Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Cleveland
Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Cleveland
Charles Palmer, later FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Cleveland, 1st Duke of Southampton, Chief Butler of England , styled Baron Limerick before 1670 and Earl of Southampton between 1670 and 1675, was the eldest son of Barbara Palmer, Countess of Castlemaine and the illegitimate son of King...
whose estate was connected in the 19th century with the Southampton (Wriothesley) property via Henry Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Grafton
Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton
Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton KG was the illegitimate son of King Charles II by Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castlemaine....
. The Southampton property later became the Bedford Estate.
Cleveland Street is renowned for several historical events and buildings, the most notable recent one being the BT Tower
BT Tower
The BT Tower is a tall cylindrical building in London, United Kingdom, located at 60 Cleveland Street, Fitzrovia W1T 4JZ, London Borough of Camden. It has been previously known as the Post Office Tower, the London Telecom Tower and the British Telecom Tower. The main structure is tall, with a...
.
History
The Cleveland Street ScandalCleveland Street scandal
The Cleveland Street scandal occurred in 1889, when a homosexual male brothel in Cleveland Street, Fitzrovia, London, was discovered by police. At the time, sexual acts between men were illegal in Britain, and the brothel's clients faced possible prosecution and certain social ostracism if discovered...
happened in 1889 at 19 Cleveland Street (now demolished) which at the time housed a male brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
in which teenage telegraph boys served as prostitutes. The scandal allegedly involved Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, heir to the throne of England. A show inspired by the Cleveland Street scandal
Cleveland Street scandal
The Cleveland Street scandal occurred in 1889, when a homosexual male brothel in Cleveland Street, Fitzrovia, London, was discovered by police. At the time, sexual acts between men were illegal in Britain, and the brothel's clients faced possible prosecution and certain social ostracism if discovered...
and titled Cleveland Street The Musical - with book and lyrics by Glenn Chandler
Glenn Chandler
Glenn Chandler is an award-winning Scottish playwright and novelist. He has written plays for theatre and radio, original screenplays for television and films, television series, and novels...
- is scheduled to run in London between April and May 2011.
In his book Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution, Stephen Knight mentions Cleveland Street in conjunction with two houses in the street. According to Knight’s theory, the royal family was connected with the Jack The Ripper
Jack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
murders from 1888, via the same Prince Albert Victor who he claims met his later wife, Catholic prostitute Annie Elizabeth Crook, at the studio of the painter Walter Sickert
Walter Sickert
Walter Richard Sickert , born in Munich, Germany, was a painter who was a member of the Camden Town Group in London. He was an important influence on distinctively British styles of avant-garde art in the 20th century....
at 15 Cleveland Street. After their secret wedding, Annie Elizabeth Crook was allegedly settled in an apartment at 6 Cleveland Street. The conspiracy theory behind the murders described in Knight’s book has been loosely adapted into From Hell
From Hell
From Hell is a comic book series by writer Alan Moore and artist Eddie Campbell, originally published from 1991 to 1996, speculating upon the identity and motives of Jack the Ripper. The title is taken from the first words of the "From Hell" letter, which some authorities believe was an authentic...
(1999), a graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
by Alan Moore from which a movie
From Hell (film)
From Hell is a 2001 American crime drama horror mystery film directed by the Hughes brothers. It is an adaptation of the comic book series of the same name by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell about the Jack the Ripper murders.-Plot:...
with the same title was adapted in 2001. Several scenes in the movie take place in Cleveland Street, although they were not shot on location.
Notable Buildings
The Grade II listed buildings are numbers:- 16-22 (terraced houses with attached shop, the first with later shop; c.1780-1800)
- 68 (terraced house with shop c.1780-1800)
- 106 (terraced house and shop 1832-5)
- 45-49 (block of flats dated 1911 with red brick with blue brick banding and stone dressings, tiled roof in the Arts and CraftsArts and Crafts movementArts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
free style)
- 139,141 (terraced houses c.1790-1800)
- 143-149 (terraced houses, some with shops c.1790-1800)
- 151 (George and Dragon corner public housePublic houseA public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
c.1850 rebuild or recasting)
- The BT TowerBT TowerThe BT Tower is a tall cylindrical building in London, United Kingdom, located at 60 Cleveland Street, Fitzrovia W1T 4JZ, London Borough of Camden. It has been previously known as the Post Office Tower, the London Telecom Tower and the British Telecom Tower. The main structure is tall, with a...
complex. The tower was London tallest building when it was completed in 1960 and it remains a major London landmark, being currently the 8th tallest building in London at 177 metres plus a 12 metre antenna.
- The frontage building of the former Cleveland Street workhouseCleveland Street WorkhouseThe Cleveland Street Workhouse is a Georgian property in Cleveland Street, London, originally built between 1775-78 for the care of the London sick and poor under the Old Poor Law...
later Middlesex Hospital annexe and outpatient department on the eastern side of the street at 44 c.1776. Over the years from 1778 until 2005 the building operated as a workhouse then a workhouse infirmary and more recently as a hospital. UCLH NHS Foundation Trust in 2010 proposed the building's demolition in a planning application (and conservation area consent) submitted to Camden London Borough CouncilCamden London Borough CouncilCamden London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Camden in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London...
to replace it with a large building mixing private accommodation with commercial space. However adjoining Westminster City CouncilWestminster City CouncilWestminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council and is entitled to be known as a city council, which is a rare distinction in the United Kingdom. The city is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors...
objected on three grounds on 2 December 2010.
The Cleveland Street Workhouse
Cleveland Street Workhouse
The Cleveland Street Workhouse is a Georgian property in Cleveland Street, London, originally built between 1775-78 for the care of the London sick and poor under the Old Poor Law...
is of particular importance in light of the fact that Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
is known to have lived nearby in what is now 22 Cleveland Street. Dickens lived there as a young child between 1815–1816 and then again as a teenager between 1828-1831. His residence in the street has led to the suggestion that the nearby workhouse was probably the inspiration for Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens, published by Richard Bentley in 1838. The story is about an orphan Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. He escapes and travels to...
.
Cleveland Street hosted the Middlesex Hospital
Middlesex Hospital
The Middlesex Hospital was a teaching hospital located in the Fitzrovia area of London, United Kingdom. First opened in 1745 on Windmill Street, it was moved in 1757 to Mortimer Street where it remained until it was finally closed in 2005. Its staff and services were transferred to various sites...
, closed in 2005 and since demolished. The hospital occupied an entire block on the western side of the southern section of the street. The future of this site is currently uncertain, despite its sale by nationalised Icelandic Kaupthing Bank
Kaupthing Bank
Kaupthing Bank was an international Icelandic bank, headquartered in Reykjavík, Iceland. It was formed by the merger of Kaupthing and Búnaðarbanki Íslands in 2003 and was the largest bank in Iceland....
to Aviva Investors and Exemplar Properties.
Cleveland Street was described as an area of special architectural and historic interest when it was designated a Conservation Area
Conservation Area (United Kingdom)
In the United Kingdom, the term Conservation Area nearly always applies to an area considered worthy of preservation or enhancement because of its special architectural or historic interest, "the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance," as required by the Planning ...
on 20 November 1990. Anomolously on its Camden side Cleveland Street is part of two conservation areas: the Fitzroy Square
Fitzroy Square
Fitzroy Square is one of the Georgian squares in London and is the only one found in the central London area known as in Fitzrovia.The square, nearby Fitzroy Street and the Fitzroy Tavern in Charlotte Street have the family name of Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, into whose ownership the land...
conservation area, and the Charlotte Street
Charlotte Street
Charlotte Street is a well-known street in Fitzrovia, central London, England. The southern half of the street has many restaurants and cafes, and a lively nightlife during the evening; while the northern part of the street is more mixed in character and includes the large office building of the...
conservation area. This double designation is rare and possibly unique.