Chelsea may be roughly divided into two great triangles, having a common
side in the King's Road. Allusion has now been made to all the southern
half, and there remains the northern, which is not nearly so interesting.
Beginning at the west end where the last part finished, we find,
bordering the railway, St. Mark's College and Schools. The house of the
Principal is Stanley House, the oldest remaining in the parish. There has
been some confusion between this and Milman House, as both were the
property of Sir Robert Stanley, the former coming into his possession by
his marriage with the daughter of Sir Arthur Gorges. The Stanley monument
in More's chapel will be also recalled in this connection. Stanley House
as it now stands was built in 1691, and is not at all picturesque. The
original building, which preceded it, was known as Brickills, and was
leased by Lady Stanley from her mother, Lady Elizabeth Gorges. In 1637,
when Lady Gorges died, she left the house and grounds to her daughter by
will, and the Stanleys lived there until 1691, when the last male
descendant died. At this time the present house was built. The Arundels
occupied it first, and after them Admiral Sir Charles Wager, and then the
Countess of Strathmore. It was purchased from her by a Mr. Lochee, who
kept a military academy here. Among the later residents were Sir William
Hamilton, who built a large hall to contain the original casts of the
Elgin Marbles. These casts form a frieze round the room, and detached
fragments are hung separately. This room alone in the house is not
panelled. The panelling of the others was for many years covered with
paper, which has been gradually removed. The drawing-room door, which
faces the entrance in the hall, is very finely carved. The house and
grounds were bought from Sir W. Hamilton in 1840 by the National Society,
at the instigation of Mr. G. F. Mathison, whose untiring efforts resulted
in the foundation of St. Mark's College for the training of
school-masters. The first Principal was the Rev. Derwent Coleridge, son
of S. T. Coleridge. His daughter Christabel has given a charming account
of the early days of St. Mark's in a little book published in the
Jubilee year. In the early part of 1841 ten students were residents in
the college. The chapel was opened two years later, in May, 1843.
The Chapel has always been famous for its music and singing. It was among
the first of the London churches to have a choral service. The students
now number 120, and a large majority of these take Holy Orders. The
grounds are kept in beautiful order, and the great elms which overshadow
the green lawns must be contemporary with the house.
The King's Road was so named in honour of Charles II., and it was
notorious in its early days for footpads and robbers. In the eighteenth
century the Earl of Peterborough was stopped in it by highwaymen, one of
whom was discovered to be a student of the Temple, who lived "by play,
sharping, and a little on the highway." There was an attempt made at
first to keep the road for the use of the Royal Family, and later on,
those who had the privilege of using it had metal tickets given to them,
and it was not opened for public traffic until 1830.
At no part of its length can King's Road claim to show any fine vista,
and at the west end the buildings are particularly poor and squalid. In
Park Walk stands Park Chapel, an old-fashioned church with a gallery in
no particular style of architecture. It was founded in 1718, and in it
General Gordon received the Holy Communion before he left for Khartoum.
Park Walk is marked on Hamilton's Survey as Lovers' Walk, and forms the
western boundary of the ancient Lord Wharton's Park, which extended from
the King's Road to Fulham Road and contained forty acres. Faulkner says
that it was part of the estate purchased by Sir Thomas More. There was an
attempt made in 1721 to encourage the manufacture of raw silk; for this
purpose the park was planted with mulberry-trees. The scheme, however,
failed. The park is now thickly covered with houses; its eastern side was
bounded by the "Road to the Cross Tree"--in other words, to what was
called the Queen's Elm. This name still survives in a public-house at the
north corner of what is now Church Street. It was derived from a
tradition that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth stood here to shelter from a
shower under a great elm-tree, accompanied by her courtier Lord Burleigh.
The tree is mentioned in the parish books in 1586. At the top of Church
Street, near the Fulham Road, there is a high stone wall enclosing the
Jews' Burial-ground. The graves lie in long rows, but are not divided
according to sex as with the Moravians. Overlooking the burial-ground is
the Hospital for Women founded in 1871. It is a red-brick building with
ornate stone facing. Beyond it is the Consumption Hospital, which is
only an off-shoot of the main building over the road in the borough of
Kensington. Arthur Street (formerly Charles Street), a few yards further
on, leads us into the South Parade, which forms the northern side of
Trafalgar Square. The square is wide, with a garden in the centre. At the
south-western corner it is adjacent to Carlyle Square, which faces the
King's Road.
This is a most picturesque little square with a country-like profusion of
trees in its green garden. On the eastern side the road through Trafalgar
Square runs on under the name of Manresa Road. This is lined with
studios, and abounds in artists and sculptors.
In Manresa Road are the Chelsea Public Library and the Polytechnic for
South-west London north of the river. The latter cannot be claimed
exclusively by Chelsea, and therefore is not described in detail. The
library was opened temporarily in 1887, and by 1891 the new building was
ready. The librarian is Mr. J. H. Quinn, who has been there since the
inauguration. The rooms have, since the opening, been greatly improved,
and the library is now exceptionally interesting. On the ground-floor is
a gallery open from 3 to 9 p.m. every week-day, except Wednesday, when
the time of opening is two hours later. Here there is a collection of
water-colour paintings and old prints illustrative of old Chelsea, and
anyone who has taken any interest in the magnificent old mansions that
made Chelsea a village of palaces will be well advised to go to see what
these buildings were actually like. In the gallery also are cases
containing the Keats collection, deposited by Sir Charles Dilke during
his lifetime, but at his death to go to Hampstead, on account of the
poet's connection with that place. Here are to be seen the editions of
Shakespeare and Bacon annotated by Keats' own hands, and his
love-letters; also a letter from his publishers, abusing him furiously,
which shows how much the contemporary judgment of the poems differed from
that of posterity.
The reference-room in the library upstairs is exceptionally fine, and
especial care has been taken to make the local topographical department
as rich as possible. Among the volumes of the greatest value are Bowack's
"Middlesex," which formerly belonged to Lord Brabourne; Faulkner's
two-volume edition of "Chelsea," which has been "grangerized," and is
illustrated by innumerable portraits, letters, views, etc., and in the
process has been expanded into four large quarto volumes. There is also
the original manuscript of Faulkner's account of the Royal Military
Asylum and the Royal College and Hospital, with all the author's
corrections.
Manresa Road runs into the King's Road, and after the next turning
eastward there is an old burial-ground, given to the parish by Sir Hans
Sloane, and consecrated 1736. Cipriani, the engraver, a foundation member
of the Royal Academy, is buried here, and there is a monument erected to
his memory by his friend and contemporary, Bartolozzi. When the Sydney
Street burial-ground was opened in 1810, this was used for interment no
more. Chelsea Workhouse stands just behind it, and the old women use the
burial-ground for exercise. It is a quaint sight to see them through the
tall iron railings wandering about dressed in their bright red-and-black
check shawls, blue cotton dresses, and white frilled caps. The workhouse
was begun in 1787, but has been largely added to since then. The
Guardians' offices adjoin the burial-ground, and on the opposite side of
the street, a little further eastward, is the Town Hall, with a row of
urns surmounting its parapet. The borough Councillors have their offices
here.
Further on is Sydney Street, formerly Robert Street, running out of the
King's Road on the north side. Here stands St. Luke's Church. The
foundation-stone of this building was laid in 1820, and it was
consecrated in 1824. For many years previously a discussion concerning
the desirability of further church accommodation had been going on. The
church was built on the old burial-ground, and the tombstones which were
removed in the course of erection are placed in long rows round a low
wall. The building is of Bath stone, and has flying buttresses and a high
square tower. In the interior it presents the greatest possible contrast
to the old church. Here there is great height, the arches are pointed,
the stonework light. The spire is 142 feet high, and the interior 130
feet long by 60 broad. From the interior vault of the roof to the
pavement the height is 60 feet. Over the Communion-table is "The
Entombment of Christ," an oil-painting by J. Northcote, R.A. To the north
of the church lies Pond Place, a remembrance of the time when a "pond and
pits" stood on Chelsea Common hereabouts.
Not far from the top of Sydney Street, in the Fulham Road, is the Cancer
Hospital, founded by William Marsden, M.D., in 1851. It was only on a
small scale at first, but public donations and subscriptions now enable
100 patients to receive all the care and treatment necessary to alleviate
their terrible infliction, and more than 1,500 are treated as
out-patients. The chief fact about the hospital is that it is absolutely
free. The disease itself is the passport of admittance. In this respect
there is only one other hospital in London like it, and that is the Royal
Free Hospital in Gray's Inn Road, which was founded by the same
benefactor. The small chapel attached, in which there is daily service,
was built about ten years ago, and consecrated by the Bishop of London.
There is almost an acre of garden. Following the Fulham Road eastwards,
we come to Marlborough Road. There is a tradition that the Duke of
Marlborough at one time occupied a house here, but there seems to be no
truth in it whatever.
Cale Street was named after one Judith Cale, who was a benefactor to the
parish. South of it we have Jubilee Place, recalling the jubilee of
George III., and Markham Street and Markham Square. At the corner of the
former is an old house still called the Box Farm, and bearing the date
1686. In Markham Square is a large Congregational chapel, opened in
1860.
Cadogan Street contains St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, almshouses,
school and cemetery. The actual fabric of this church was founded in
1879, but the mission of which it is the development began in 1812, and
was at first established on the opposite side of the road. The building
is of stone, and is in the Early English style, from designs by J.
Bentley. Two oil-paintings on the pillars at the entrance to the chancel
are by Westlake. There is also a large oil-painting over the altar. A
statue to the memory of the founder of the mission, the Abbe Voyaux de
Franous, stands in the northern aisle, and a small chapel on the
southern side has a magnificent carved stone altarpiece by the younger
Pugin, supposed to have been executed from a design by his father.
Halsey Street and Moore Street lead northward into Milner Terrace, in
which stands the modern church of St. Simon Zelotes. We now get back into
the aristocratic part of Chelsea in Lennox Gardens, which open out of
Milner Terrace.
At the west end of Pont Street stands the Church of St. Columba, opened
1884. Here the services are conducted according to the use of the
Established Church of Scotland in London. The building, which is of red
brick with stone dressings, is in the style of the thirteenth century. It
was opened in 1884, and seats about 800 people. The pillars in the
interior are of granite, and the pulpit of carved Aubigne stone. There
are several stained-glass windows. The architect was Mr. Granderson.
Pont Street is built entirely of red brick, the houses being in a
modernized seventeenth century style. From Pont Street opens out Cadogan
Square. This square is very modern, and stands on part of the site of
Princes' Cricket-ground.
Hans Place deserves more special mention. "L. E. L." (Letitia Elizabeth
Landon), the poetess who was "dying for a little love," spent the greater
part of her life here. She was born at No. 25, and educated at No. 22,
both of which have now disappeared. Shelley stayed here for a short
time, and Miss Mitford was educated at a school (No. 2) which turned out
several literary pupils. Hans Place was laid out in 1777 by a Mr.
Holland, who built a great house called the Pavilion, as a model for the
Prince of Wales's Pavilion at Brighton; it was pulled down in 1879. The
grounds comprised twenty-one acres of land, and contained a large piece
of ornamental water. To the west of Hans Place, in Walton Street, is St.
Saviour's Church, founded in 1839. A handsome chancel was added in 1890,
and opened by the Bishop of London. At the same time a new organ was
added. The chief feature of interest is a fine oak screen, on which the
carving represents the nine orders of angels.
On the east is Pavilion Road: the derivation of the name is obvious. It
runs parallel to the whole length of Sloane Street. Sloane Street itself
is exactly a mile long from the square to Knightsbridge. The Church of
Holy Trinity, just above the square, is in an unusual style of
architecture; its two tall towers of red brick faced with stone add an
imposing detail to the architecture of the street. The first church was
consecrated in 1830, but pulled down in 1889 and replaced by the present
one, due to the generosity of Earl Cadogan. The architect was F. R.
Sedding, F.R.I.B.A. Within, the building is very light and high, and all
the fittings are exquisitely finished. The pulpit is of marble with
inlaid panels. The east window is very fine, and the stained glass was
designed by Burne-Jones, R.A., and supplied by Morris. The wrought-iron
gates and brass panels on the chancel stalls are worth notice, also the
graceful figure supporting the lectern, which is the work of H. H.
Armstead, R.A. The handsome organ screen of iron, gilded over, and
oxidized copper is a memorial gift, and the frontal picture on the chapel
altar is by Reynolds Stephens.
East of Sloane Street is the aristocratic Lowndes Square, of which the
name is evidently derived from a former owner, for on a map of Chelsea,
1741-45, this spot is marked "Lowndes, Esq." Cadogan Place lies a little
further south, and is open to Sloane Street on one side. Chelsea House,
Earl Cadogan's town residence, is in the north-east corner, and is marked
by its stone facing in contrast with its brick neighbours. Below Cadogan
Place is a network of little, unimportant streets. Byron stayed in Sloane
Terrace with his mother in 1799, when he came to London for medical
advice about his foot. The Court theatre in the square has been erected
within the last thirty years. Sloane Gardens runs parallel to Lower
Sloane Street, and behind is Holbein Place, from which we started on our
perambulations. We have now made a complete circuit through Chelsea,
looking into every street and commenting on every building or site of
importance in the parish.