History Wardour Street

changes of street s name , extent since 1585

the name colmanhedge lane did not last, , 1682 map ogilby , morgan shows lane split 3 parts. northern part shown ho, middle part whitcomb street , remainder, james street south, hedge lane. not clear map boundary between ho , whitcombe street is—probably somewhere between compton street , gerrard street. these 3 names on morden , lea map of 1682.

wardour street renamed , building began in 1686, shown plaque formerly on house @ corner broadwick street. sir edward wardour owned land in area, , edward street stretch of broadwick street between wardour street , berwick street, shown roque. neither side of street built 1720. john rocque shows both roads on large-scale map of 1746. oxford street south meard street wardour street; south compton street old soho; down coventry street princes street. length of leicester square whicomb street , hedge lane, starts @ panton street rather james street.

by end of 18th century, horwood, on large map of 1799, uses same names not old soho , hedge lane. leaves wardour, princes , whitcomb streets. houses have individual numbers then, , shown in detail on horwood s map.

the names same on greenwood s map of 1827, although area @ southern end had been redeveloped. road ends @ pall mall east, , boundary between wardour , princes streets may have moved north little.

by 1846, cruchley s new plan of london shows change @ southern end. wardour, princes , whitcomb streets stay same; however, whitcomb street loses few hundred yards @ southern end, , james street pall mall dorset place.

in victorian times, princes street still shown on 1871 ordnance survey map. stanford s map of central london 1897, @ 6″ mile, has 2 names, wardour street oxford street coventry street, , whitcomb street south there. has remained since, though numbering of premises rationalised around 1896.

in late 19th century, wardour street known (sometimes shoddy) furniture stores, antique shops, , dealers in artists supplies. complicated succession of members of wright family in business in variety of art , furniture-related fields between 1827 , 1919 @ numbers 22 (the first , last), , 23, 26, 134 , 144, @ least 2 businesses run cousins in latter part of century. wright used picture frames new national gallery @ least 1856, when made large new frame adoration of magi paolo veronese still in place. phrase wardour street english denotes use of near-obsolete words effect, such anent; derives once great number of antique shops in area. paris-born luthier georges chanot iii had shop , violin-making business @ no. 157 many years.