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Strand, London
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===Palaces=== From the 12th century onwards, large mansions lined the Strand including several palaces and [[townhouse]]s inhabited by bishops and royal courtiers, mainly on the south side, with their own river gates and landings directly on the Thames. The road was poorly maintained, with many pits and sloughs, and a paving order was issued in 1532 to improve traffic.{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|p=883}} What later became [[Essex House (London)|Essex House]] on the Strand was originally an Outer Temple of the [[Knights Templar]] in the 11th century. In 1313, ownership passed to the Knights of St John. King [[Henry VIII]] gave the house to [[William Paget, 1st Baron Paget|William, Baron Paget]], in the early 16th century. [[Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester|Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester]], rebuilt the house in 1563, originally calling it Leicester House. It was renamed Essex House after being inherited by [[Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex]], in 1588. It was demolished around 1674 and Essex Street, leading up to the Strand, was built on the location by property speculator [[Nicholas Barbon]].{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|p=276}} [[Arundel House]] was originally the town house of the [[Bishop of Bath and Wells|Bishops of Bath and Wells]]. It was owned by [[William FitzWilliam, 1st Earl of Southampton]], between 1539 and his death in 1542, with ownership passing to [[Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley|Thomas Seymour]] in 1545. After Seymour was executed in 1549, the property was sold to [[Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel|Henry FitzAlan, Earl of Arundel]], and was owned by the Earldom for much of the 16th and 17th century. In 1666, it became the meeting place of the [[Royal Society]] after the [[Great Fire of London]] destroyed their previous venue. The house was demolished in 1678 and Arundel Street, adjoining the Strand, was built on the site.{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|pp=29β30}} [[File:Somerset House by Kip 1722.JPG|thumb|right|The original [[Somerset House]] in 1722]] [[Somerset House]] was built by [[Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset|Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset]], regent of England from 1547 to 1549, demolishing three inns and the church of the Nativity of Our Lady and the Innocents in the process. After Somerset was executed in 1552, it became an occasional residence for [[Elizabeth I of England|Princess Elizabeth]]. When she became Queen in 1558, she returned part of the house to Seymour's family (with ownership passing to his son, [[Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford]]); the remainder was an occasional meeting place for the Royal Society. After Elizabeth's death in 1603, it was owned by [[Anne of Denmark]], wife of [[James VI and I]]. The building was renamed Denmark House in commemoration of Anne's brother, [[Christian IV of Denmark]]. After James died in 1625, his body lay there intestate for a month. The building was taken over by Parliament in 1645 following the Civil War, renaming it back to Somerset House.{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|p=849}} It had an irregular series of owners and residents for much of the 18th century until it was demolished in 1775. The house was rebuilt as a series of government buildings. The Stamp Office, later to become the [[Inland Revenue]] was established in Somerset House in 1789. In the late 20th century, a number of art galleries were set up on vacant parts, including the [[Courtauld Institute of Art]] and the [[The Dickson Poon School of Law|King's College London School of Law]].{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|p=849}} [[File:SomersetHousebyAnonpublAckermann&Co1836.jpg|thumb|left|A 19th-century print showing [[St Mary le Strand]] and the Strand front of [[Somerset House]]]] [[Savoy Palace]] was the London residence of [[John of Gaunt]] (uncle of [[Richard II of England|King Richard II]]), the nation's power broker. In the 14th century the Savoy was the most magnificent nobleman's mansion in England. During the [[Peasants' Revolt]] of 1381, rebels, led by [[Wat Tyler]], inflamed by opposition to the poll tax promoted by John of Gaunt, systematically demolished the Savoy and everything in it. In 1512 it was rebuilt as the Savoy Hospital for the poor. It gradually fell into dereliction and was divided into multiple tenancies. It was demolished in 1816β1820 to build the approach road to [[Waterloo Bridge]]. The [[Savoy Hotel]] now occupies this site.{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|p=825}} [[File:Exeter Exchange.jpg|thumb|right|[[Exeter Exchange]], viewed from the Strand in the early 19th century]] [[Durham House (London)|Durham House]], the historic London residence of the [[Bishop of Durham]], was built circa 1345 and demolished in the mid-17th century. It was the home of [[Anne Boleyn]]. It had become derelict by the mid-17th century and was demolished in 1660. Durham Street and the Adelphi Buildings were built on its site.{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|p=255}} [[York House, Strand|York House]] was built as the London residence for the [[Bishop of Norwich]] not later than 1237. At the time of the Reformation it was acquired by King Henry VIII, and came to be known as York House when he granted it to the [[Archbishop of York]] in 1556. In the 1620s it was acquired by the royal favourite [[George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham]], and after an interlude during the Civil War it was returned to [[George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham]], who sold it to developers in 1672. It was then demolished and new streets and buildings built on the site, including George Street, [[Villiers Street]], Duke Street, Of Alley, and Buckingham Street.{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|p=1036}} [[Cecil House]], also called Exeter House or Burghley House, was built in the 16th century by [[William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley|Lord Burghley]] as an expansion of an existing Tudor house. Exeter House was demolished in 1676 and [[Exeter Exchange]] built on the site.{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|p=283}} A [[menagerie]] was built on the upper floors in 1773, which was later run by [[Edward Cross (zoo proprietor)|Edward Cross]], who housed lions, tigers, monkeys and hippopotami. In 1826, an elephant, [[Chunee]], nearly broke free from its cage and had to be destroyed; the skeleton was later put on display. The exchange was demolished in 1829, with the menagerie moving to the [[Surrey Zoological Gardens]], and replaced by [[Exeter Hall]], noted for its [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical]] meetings. This was demolished in 1907, and the site is now occupied by the [[Strand Palace Hotel]].{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|pp=282β283}} Other significant palaces along the Strand include Worcester House, formerly the Inn, or residence, of the [[Bishop of Carlisle]],{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|p=1032}} Salisbury House, used for royal lodgings in the 15th and 16th centuries,{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|p=820}} [[Bedford House (Strand)|Bedford House]] demolished in 1704,<ref>{{cite book|first=Lesley|last=Lawson|title=Out of the Shadows: The Life of Lucy, Countess of Bedford|publisher=Bloomsbury|year=2007|page=21|isbn=978-1-847-25212-8}}</ref> Hungerford House, which was demolished and replaced, in turn, by [[Hungerford Market]] and [[Charing Cross railway station|Charing Cross station]] and [[Northumberland House]], a large [[Jacobean architecture|Jacobean]] mansion, the historic London residence of the [[Duke of Northumberland|Dukes of Northumberland]]; built in 1605 and demolished in 1874. [[Northumberland Avenue]] now occupies the site.{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|p=593}} The official residence of the Secretary of State, next door at No. 1 the Strand, became the first numbered address in London.{{sfn|Moore|2003|p=197}} Apart from the rebuilt Somerset House, all of these buildings have been demolished and replaced from the 17th century onwards.{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|p=883}} A New Exchange was built on part of the gardens of Durham House, in 1608β1609, facing the Strand. This high-class shopping centre enjoyed considerable popularity but was eventually destroyed in 1737.{{sfn|Weinreb et al.|2008|p=539}}
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