- Fetter Lane
Fetter Lane is a street in the ward of
Farringdon Without inLondon England . It runs fromFleet Street in the south toHolborn in the north.The earliest mention of the street is "faitereslane" in 1312 [ [http://www.motco.com/Harben/2062.htm Origin of Fetter Lane] ] . The name occurs with several spellings until it settles down about 1612. There is no agreement about the origin of the name "Fetter Lane". Theories include: "Feuterer-lane" (feuterer = a keeper of dogs) and Fewtor/ Faitour (a worthless fellow). At the southern end, on Fleet Street, is
Clifford's Inn established 1345. Near the northern end, facing onto Holborn, isBarnard's Inn . They are bothInns of Chancery . The official address of the oldPublic Records Office (1856 - 1997) was Chancery Lane, but the back of this building dominates the south part of Fetter Lane. It is now the library ofKing's College London .On Fleet street is
St Dunstan-in-the-West , and next to it, at 133 - 137 Fetter Lane, is St Dunstan's House. In Victorian Times the publishing houseSampson Low was located at St Dunstan's House. Two plaster-reliefs (1886) byWalter Crane were salvaged from the building when it was destroyed in 1905. They now stand next door in King's College Library. [ [http://www.victorianweb.org/sculpture/crane/6.html Walter Crane] ] The site then became the main London warehouse of theCambridge University Press . It is now the "Technology and construction court", for litigation related to science and engineering.In the 1590s there was a gibbet at the junction of Fleet Street and Fetter Lane.
Christopher Bales was hung there. It is sometimes alleged that Dryden lived at number 16, but there is no evidence for this. In 1604John Dowland published "Lachrimae". The preface states "to be solde at the authors House in Fetter-lane neare Fleet-streete". [ [http://worldcat.org/wcpa/ow/9a69dd0130783c15a19afeb4da09e526.html Dowland] ] In 1651Thomas Hobbes lived in Fetter Lane. In the opening paragraphs of "Gulliver's Travels" the central character states that lived briefly at Fetter Lane. From 1660 to 1680Thomas Goodwin preached at the Fetter Lane Independent church. [ [http://www.puritansermons.com/bio/biogoodw.htm Thomas Goodwin] ]At 33, the Moravian Chapel (
Fetter Lane Society ) was founded in 1738. The "Trust Society for the Furtherence of the Gospel" was founded by theMoravian Church in 1741. They undertook missionary work and were based at Fetter Lane. The composerChristian Ignatius Latrobe did missionary work for them in South Africa. The organisation still exists, but is now based in Muswell Hill. [ [http://www.mundus.ac.uk/cats/23/237.htm Trust society for the Furtherance of the Gospel] ] For 67 years,Birkbeck, University of London , was located at Breams Buildings on Fetter Lane. BothCharles Lamb and Mary Lamb, attended William Bird's Academy in Fetter Lane.The
Socialist Party of Great Britain was founded in Bartlett's Passage, off Fetter Lane in 1904. [ [http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/sep04/editsep.html Socialist Party] ] From 1920 to 1961 theDaily Mirror was located in Geraldine House. They then moved to the north end of Fetter Lane, at Holburn Circus, where then remained until 1990. They then moved to the Isle of Dogs. The original site, between "Rolls Buildings" (a street) and "Bream's Buildings" (another street to the north) was called "Rolls House" from 1961 to 2007, when it was demolished. The new site, sometimes called "110 Fetter Lane" rather than "Rolls House", is to become the site of an eleven story building. It will contain 29 courtrooms and other judicial accommodiation, due for completion in 2009. [ [http://www.ice.org.uk/knowledge/spec_news.asp?ARTICLE_ID=1736 110 Fetter Lane] ] A statue ofJohn Wilkes was erected at the junction of Fetter Lane and New Fetter Lane in 1988.References
External links
* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,887709-1,00.html Geraldine House]
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