Watching the detectives, a walk up Baker Street (Part 1)
I have already talked about Baker Street’s most famous detective but there is so much more to London’s Baker Street than Holmes and Watson. So join me for a walk up this famous street and we will discover plenty of other stories amongst which include waxworks, detectives, bank heists, the Beatles and even the world’s greatest secret agent.
We start our journey in Portman Square which sits at the southern end of Baker Street. It is a particularly apt place to start because the land on which Baker Street sits is owned by the Portman Estate which was founded in 1532 by Sir William Portman, who was Lord Chief Justice to King Henry VIII. Today the estate covers 110 acres of some of the most prestigious and expensive real estate in London but in 1532 until the the mid 18th century it was farmland. I expect Sir William’s descendants were pleased with his foresight because it is said that the current value of the estate is more than £1.7 billion!
The Square was laid out in the late 18th century for housing and in the middle sits Portman Square Garden which is a private Garden and can only be accessed by people who live or work on the Estate and pay the subscription charge.
Unfortunately, as I don’t have a residence on the estate we have to make do with the view through the railings of the gate, it certainly seems like an green oasis of calm in the city.
Next to the gate there is a pink Scottish Granite Memorial which also serves as a drinking fountain.
The fountain has stood on Portman Square since 1887 when it was donated by Lady Hamilton as memorial to her late husband Sir James Hamilton 2nd Baronet, through the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association.
Founded in 1859, the Association provided free, freshwater to people and animals at a time when ale and spirits were easier to obtain and sometimes safer to drink than water.
Today approximately half of Britain’s water fountains are no longer in use with many of the cattle troughs having been turned into decorative plant pots by local councils and community groups like this example in east London.
They certainly provide an attractive burst of colour but it would be amusing to see some horses drinking from one in today’s modern city.
Leaving the square behind we start to walk up the name Baker Street I was disappointed to learn has nothing to do with bread or cakes. Instead it is named after a man named William Baker who leased the land from the Portman Estate to build his grand road and buildings in the 18th century.
We are heading to number 55 Baker Street which has had a long and varied history, and whose one time residents probably would have made use of the many aforementioned plant pots, but those stories will have to wait until next time…
Спасибо за прочтение. Продолжение следует…
Thanks for reading. To be continued…
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