The Strand: the Site of Hungerford Market

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Sir Walter Besant, in The Fascination of London, published in 1903, continues his survey of the Strand disctrict with a discussiom of the site once occupied by Hungerford Market:

On the site of Hungerford Market there stood the "Inn" or House of the Bishop of Norwich.

In 1536 Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, exchanged his house in Southwark for this place; twenty years later it fell into the hands of Heath, Archbishop of York, who called it York House, and in the reign of James I it became the property of the Crown.

Bacon was born in this house. In 1624 the Duke of Buckingham obtained the house; he pulled it down, and began to build a large mansion to take its place. The watergate is the only part of his structure still existing.

Cromwell gave the house to Fairfax, whose daughter married the second Duke of Buckingham, of the Villiers family.

In 1655 Evelyn describes the house as "much ruined through neglect." In 1672 the house and gardens were sold to four persons of Westminster, who laid out the site in streets, viz, Villiers Street, Duke Street, Buckingham Street, and Of Alley, forming in conjunction the words Villiers, Duke of Buckingham.

York House was pulled down soon after, and York Buildings erected on the site.

Peter the Great had lodgings in York Buildings during his visit to England, and Pepys occupied a house on the west side, near the river, for some time.

The gardens of the Victoria Embankment now fill up the space over which the river formerly flowed, and the watergate is merely a meaningless ornament 100 yards or more from the water.

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